


Untold Bleach Stories- Midori Kyoraku

by midorigrove



Category: Bleach
Genre: Attempted Rape, Bankai, Betrayal, Birthdays, Bribery, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flashbacks, Foreign Language, Imprisonment, Jealousy, Justice, Kido, Love Triangle, Portals, Romance, Seireitei, Self Harm, Time Skips, Torture, kaido - Freeform, zanpakuto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 133,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25854022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorigrove/pseuds/midorigrove
Summary: What if the Commander of the Seireitei broke one of their most sacred rules to protect someone important to him? What if a villainous man tore two lovers apart? This story explores an alternate time when Midori Kyoraku appeared in Bleach. It tells the story of love, betrayal, and justice as she changes from a gullible kid just out of the Shinigami Academy into a mature Soul Reaper.
Relationships: Jushiro Ukitake - Relationship, Kisuke Urahara - Relationship, Original Character - Relationship





	1. Place to Feel Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> First of all, this fanfiction is rated M for mature. After chapter 5 there will be times when the content changes from teen rated to mature rating. There are many things in this story that may be too mature for the younger audience. Viewer discretion is advised.
> 
> This fanfiction takes place in an alternate timeline of the original work of Tite Kubo. All characters except, Midori Kyoraku, Mei, Danr, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, and the three fates of Norse Mythology (Skuld, Urd, Verdandi) are all property of Tite Kubo along with the world of Bleach. The world of Vuaruhara created in the story and the lykill and Landhluta created for the story belong creatively to me.
> 
> This adventure tells the story of a girl who had lost her parents and comes to live with her uncle who is a captain in the Gotei 13. It shows other consequences that Sosuke Aizen caused upon others during the time between the Hollowfication Incident and the current timeline that Tite Kubo has created. I do go in and make adjustments to his story in an alternate timeline that would include my original characters. There is nothing wrong with Tite Kubo's story. I have nothing but respect for his work this is why my story is part of a alternate timeline from the cannon.
> 
> This story also shows how love can create turmoil and also rescue someone from their own turmoil. Remember the alternate timeline is not the original story; therefore, many of the chapters read may not line up correctly with the events of the original Bleach and that is due to the invasion of my character in the world that Tite Kubo has created. Nowhere has this story been accepted by the original author. At the end of this story will be a small section for the character profile of Midori Kyoraku.
> 
> Please feel free to leave me comments, reviews, or suggestions that will make my story better or help the readers understand things. I welcome everyone to share their opinions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure to leave comments. These will help me decide if I want to write more chapters, and it lets me know if the story is any good. As a writer, I want to make sure that my readers enjoy what they read, so please let me know your opinions. I will not care if they are harsh, rather I invite them if need be. Overall, I do hope you enjoy this story that expands over a century and then some.
> 
> Thanks for all the support!!!

The sky was a beautiful shade of purple and pink. The sparkling stars that appeared before the dusk seemed to become more visible as the sky got darker. The Soul Society was home to the Soul Reapers who protected their world and the World of the Living from the horrible monstrosities called the Hollows. At the center of the Soul Society sat the Seireitei, the place where the Soul Reapers lived within the Soul Society. It was a place where those who passed away in the World of the Living would come and have a place to call their own. It was like the afterlife for souls that passed over.  
Alone on a cliff overlooking the Seireitei, a small, five-year old girl with auburn hair and deep violet eyes stared out from her view with streams of tears running down her cheeks. A shadow appeared behind her slowly, and steadily bent down to sit beside of her.  
“Midori, everything is going to be alright. I know it hurts now, but you’ll be safe and sound with me. You still want to come live with your Uncle Shunsui, don’t you?”  
She rubbed her eyes and turned to look up at a young Shunsui. He was a mirror image of her father, Shosuke Kyoraku. His hair was pulled in a ponytail underneath a sakkat. A unique head covering that only used reeds in a Japanese style hat. His facial hair was finely laid on his chin, and he wore a pink flowered haori, a kimono style jacket, over his captain’s uniform.  
She nodded her head in agreement, which granted her the soothing touch of his large hand that rested on her head. She closed her eyes, and all that flashed through her mind was her father and mother’s voices as a large Hollow took their lives.  
“I will be safe with you, right,” her voice trembled as she spoke.  
“That is what I said, little one. I will be right here for you, always. I promise.”  
She stood from her seated position which caused his hand to fall from her. She turned to him, tears streaming from her eyes, again and launched herself into his arms. He placed his arms around her and rocked her.  
“This child has been through so much, Shosuke. I just hope I can walk in your shoes and raise her right,” he thought to himself.  
He looked out at the Seireitei for a long time until he felt her body go limp in his arms. He rose from the ground with her in his arms and headed down the cliff back to his home in the Seireitei.  
Shunsui entered into the 8th division barracks. It was a very large barracks. There was a large staircase from the gate that led up into the main area. From there, a long hallway connected to the building where the captain, Shunsui Kyoraku’s office and room were. This area was always full of squad members doing different odd jobs. As soon as he climbed the stairs, he was instantly bombarded with questions about Midori.  
When he saw his lieutenant, Lisa Yadomaru, a slender young woman with black hair and glasses, he made his way to her and gave her an order, “Lisa, will you please set up a room for my niece, she will be living here from now on.”  
“Do you think that wise, Captain? What would Commander Yamamoto say?” Lisa asked him.  
He did not have to think about her words long before he replied to her, “She is family, Lisa. The only family she has left. I won’t make her live in the Rukon district alone.”  
The determination in his eyes caused Lisa to keep her thoughts to herself. It was not customary for anyone other than a Soul Reaper to live within the Seireitei, but she understood his need to have her near him. He could never just let someone be alone.  
She turned and entered the building where his office and room were located and within seconds disappeared out of sight. She went all the way to the end of the hall and entered a room on the right side. It was beside of his office and across the hall from his own room, where she created a room for little Midori. There were already a modern bed in the room and a desk. She cleaned the room and made sure the bed dressings were cleaned and up to the standards that she knew her captain would appreciate. After fifteen minutes, she reappeared, again next to her captain.  
“It is ready, Captain. It’s the room right next to your office. Do you need anything else?”  
“No, that is fine. Thank you, Lisa.”  
Shunsui walked down the hall to the room that Lisa had designated for Midori. He walked in and placed her on the bed and covered her up. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and cupped his cheeks in his hands. He watched her chest rise and fall over and over again until his vision blurred. The sorrow of his brother’s passing had finally caught up to him. He just could not hold it in any longer. He allowed the tears to fall. He knew no one would see him and no one would hear him. Suddenly, a small hand touched his cheek. The warmth of this small hand caused him to wipe the tears away on the arm of his haori to see two violet eyes staring into his. She looked concerned, but she knew how he was feeling.  
“Uncle Shunsui, I will keep you safe, too. I will protect you and help these tears that we share disappear.”  
He smiled a little and placed Midori in a hug. She hugged him back with all the strength she could muster. She fell back asleep shortly after, so he placed her back in bed, rubbed his haori across his face to get rid of all the residue from his tears, and quietly exited the room closing the door behind him.  
Lisa was standing outside of the door waiting on him. He looked at her but made sure his eyes were concealed under the sakkat on his head. She looked under it to see that his eyes were indeed red and puffy.  
“I am sorry for your loss, Captain. It is truly something commendable to hear you sympathize with her. Would you like to take the rest of the night off, or would you like to get back to business, sir?”  
“I would prefer to stay busy. She will be a handful as the years pass. Will you be able to help me take care of her as she grows up?”  
“It would be my pleasure to help you, Captain; however, you will not teach her any of your bad habits. She will be a young lady in the Seireitei, and she should act accordingly. I would hate to see her become a drunkard and a total flirt just like you, sir.”  
She smiled at him and gave him a sure look. He wanted to reassure her that he would not teach her his bad habits, but who was he kidding, he did not know how to raise a kid. He never had his own, and when he saw his brothers have normal relationships and having families, it never crossed his mind that he needed to also have the same as them. He liked his carefree life, and he certainly wasn’t going to risk his freedom for a safety net, but Midori was not a safety net. She was the light that breathed life into his brother’s world. He could remember her happy, smiling face running through the daisy fields on the far end of the East Rukon district. He missed that today. He had never seen such misery on a child’s face before, especially a child whom he cared for. He reassured himself that he would protect her, ensure that she would have a wonderful childhood, and a place in the Seireitei. If not there, then the Soul Society.

*****  
13 years later….  
“Uncle Shunsui, Uncle Shunsui!”  
Midori raced down the hallway toward Shunsui’s office. Many of the division members watched as she raced by. She leapt and skirted by many of the members who were moving different kinds of equipment from one side of the hallway to the other side.  
“Sorry, excuse me! Uncle Shunsui!” Midori yelled.  
“Slow down, Miss Midori. The Captain isn’t going anywhere.”  
Midori slowed down to explain her excitement to a middle-aged man carrying an arm full of wooden swords, “I can’t suppress my excitement! I’m graduating from the academy, tomorrow!”  
The member who had shouted at her smiled and went back to his work. Midori finally reached the door to Shunsui’s office. She flung the doors opened and walked in. Shunsui was talking to Lisa about some official business when he stopped to look up at Midori. He could see the excitement in her smiling face as he held a finger up to have her wait until he was finished with Lisa.  
“Make sure to complete that file today, Lisa. Thank you.”  
“Yes, Captain. I will show it to you later for a full review before I submit it.”  
Lisa gathered the folder sitting in front of Shunsui and walked toward Midori. She smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. Midori turned to watch her leave.  
“Have a good day, Midori.”  
“Thank you, Lisa! You have a great day, too!”  
Midori spun back around to Shunsui who was sitting at his desk with his hands propping up his chin. He had a huge smile on his face.  
“You wanted to see me? You seem awfully excited to talk to me since I heard you down the hallway. Did I not tell you that yelling was unnecessary?” Shunsui asked his overly excited niece.  
She looked down at her feet. Feeling the sting of disappointment from being scolded. She cautiously looked back up to see that her uncle’s face was still in the same position, but he was stifling a laugh. She gave him a look of approval as they both started to laugh. They laughed so hard that Midori’s eyes began to water. She wiped them enough to make her vision clear to see her uncle’s face who was still giggling into his hand.  
“I graduate tomorrow, and if I get the top marks in my class, I get to pick which division I want to be a part of,” Midori rushed the words from her mouth, but they were caught immediately by her uncle.  
“Oh, really. I wonder when they made that rule? Have you thought of the division you want to be a part of?”  
He knew that she would pick his division. She had always been fond of being near him and Lisa. This was her home. He was strong in his belief that she would pick his division to be a part of.  
“I really want to be in your division, Uncle Shunsui. I really admire the way you treat your members, and I love being near Lisa. She is like a mother to me. Would you accept me as a part of your division?”  
Midori fiddled with the edges of her sleeves with her fingers. She always wore this type of timid expression when she really wanted things to go her way. It was like she was pleading with him to accept her no matter what.  
“How could I say no to you, Midori. You have always been by my side. I want to continue to be your safety and comfort, but are you sure there isn’t any other divisions you wish to be a part of?”  
“I have met other captains during my time in the academy, and I really like Rojuro Otoribashi. He seems really nice, and a very interesting person. I would like to be a part of his division as well, but I don’t really know if I would want to be around someone so strict as Chikane Iba,” she shot him look to signify that he had to know what she meant, “I have also been interested in Captain Unohana’s 4th division. She is a wonderful lady, and I would love to learn a lot from her.”  
Shunsui sat and listened to how much his niece had taken his question into consideration. Midori went through all the captains that she had met at the academy, and all seemed to have their pros and cons, but she made sure to mention to him about her fears of being in division one.  
“I am scared of Grandfather Yamamoto. I don’t know if I could really stomach being in his division. He seems to be strict and by the letter. I feel that I would fail in that division.”  
Shunsui let out a hearty laugh that seemed to fill the room and travel down the hall. Many of the division members stopped in the middle of the hall just to stare down at their captain’s closed door. Midori turned her head sideways in concern as to why her uncle was laughing like that.  
“To hear you call the old man Yama, grandfather, was something too funny not to laugh at. Midori, you are a comedian, aren’t you?”  
A blush filled her face. She did not know what to do. The excitement that filled her earlier was wearing off, and she felt tired. She began yawning and tried to cover it up with her arm before her uncle noticed, but it was too late. He had noticed the signs all too well from his days as a teenager. He threw her a confident look.  
“I wish you luck for tomorrow, Midori. As hard as you have worked, I wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t get the very top of your class.”  
“Thanks, Uncle Shunsui. I will let you get back to your work. Thank you for talking to me.”  
He waved her out as Midori opened the large door to his office and walked out. She did not hesitate before opening her own door to her room and closing it. She walked over to the balcony on the far east part of her room and leaned against the rail. She saw the small pond down below the 8th division barracks. The pond was bare except for the occasional bird that would stop to drink from it. She stood there for some time watching the birds fly onto the pond and right back up into the sky once more. Her time in the Seireitei was some of the happiest moments in her life. She felt safe, secure, and wanted by everyone around her.  
Her uncle had taken the place of her father, and Lisa had taken the place of her mother. She knew that if it were not for them that she would not have been any happier except for in the hands of her parents. She held within her hands the silver locket that she wore around her neck. It was something that the academy did not agree with, but she had to wear it. It was the last thing that she had from her parents. She did not want to lose the only thing that connected her to them. She just couldn’t lose it.  
Her time at the academy had gained her many friends, but no one that was as close to her as Shunsui and Lisa. She did not understand why many people in the academy kept their distance from her until she overheard from some of her classmates that they thought she was privileged because she was allowed to live in the Seireitei. She sometimes felt that her time here was a burden to her uncle and to others who had to make sure she was taken care of. She worked hard and honed her skills to become the best. She received the highest marks in all of her classes and even acquired abilities that some of her teachers had only heard of in myths. There was no one in the Soul Society who could create a Soul Image like she could. To make a complete corporal copy of herself was something that no one in the Soul Society had ever seen or heard of. That technique showed many of her classmates that she deserved to be in the academy and special treatment was far from what got her there.  
Midori feeling that the pond below her window was lonely, took off with her Zanpakuto in hand and went down to the pond. There was no one around, and she could feel the wind rush against her bare arms in her makeshift dance attire that Lisa had helped her create. It was made from an old stealth force uniform that Lisa had acquired from the captain of 2nd division. They had dyed it red so that it was not confused with the official uniform. Midori took her sword’s blade in her left hand and held the blade close to her face. It was like a melody played in her mind. She remembered watching her mother dance like this when she was little. The moon would embrace her mother just like it did her now.  
In the bushes beside of the pond, a black-haired boy with gray eyes stared at her as she danced. Mesmerized by her movements, he became enticed by the way the sweat began to bead on her pale skin, and the way the moon played upon her figure. He watched her for some time before he was startled by her stopping. He immediately hid in the bush.  
“Is someone there?” Midori called out to the bush that the boy was hiding in. He stayed hidden not speaking and trying hard to mask his breathing.  
“Must have been my imagination,” she thought to herself as she turned back to the pond. Her reflection showed her pale skin being illuminated by the moonlight, and her violet eyes stared back at herself. She knew someone was in the bushes. She was completely and utterly sure that she had seen him a few times as she danced around the pond.  
She smiled to herself as she lifted her Zanpakuto above her head. It began to glow as an orange light encompassed her body. The boy, who was watching her from the bushes, peeked his head back out to watch her some more. He saw her body illuminated by a glowing orange light, and a second orange glow appeared beside of her. When the orange glow dissipated, another Midori was standing right beside of her. He could not believe his eyes as there was now two of her. Everything was the same on both persons right down to their toes, the only thing that changed was the color of eyes the second Midori had, they resembled Shunsui’s brown eyes.  
He blushed in awe at the sight of her. He had never seen anyone split themselves in two like this. His mouth dropped, and he was frozen in place. His breathing slowed quietly like never before. There was something about Midori’s technique that calmed him. It was like an illusion, a hallucination, but he wouldn’t know because reaching out to her and figuring out the truth would alert her to his presence, and he did not want her to know he had been watching her.  
Midori began dancing again, this time two Midori’s followed in sync around the pond. The boy in the bushes watched the violet eyed Midori as she rounded the pool and then stopped in front of him, her eyes had caught him. He turned to run, but behind him was the other Midori. He gasped as the Midori behind him grabbed his arm and walked him from the bushes closer to the violet eyed Midori. The brown eyed Midori let go of him and came around beside of her twin.  
“How long have you been watching me, little boy?” He stumbled to find the words.  
“I saw you come over to the empty pond, and I got curious as to what you were doing. I have been here the whole time.” He looked upset at himself as he stared at his feet. Midori reached her hand out to his arm to get him to look at her.  
“What is your name?”  
“I am Byakuya. Your technique is really something beyond belief. I mean your body double, not your dancing. I mean your dancing was serene,” he answered her in a frustrated fashion. Midori smiled at him and took her hand from his shoulder.  
“I’m Midori, and the technique is called Soul Image. I can split myself into two complete mirror images of myself. The only difference between us is our eyes, can you tell?”  
Byakuya looked up at her and then to her twin. It was hard to focus in the moonlight or the lanterns that were sporadically placed around the pond. He took a good look and finally saw the brown eyes that were so different from Midori’s violet eyes.  
“I see them. It is amazing still that you can make a complete copy of yourself. Does everyone know you can do this?”  
“Only those in the academy, my uncle and his lieutenant,” Midori answered him back as the other Midori began to fuse back into her.  
The orange light that encircled Midori was quick to appear and fade away to reveal only one Midori. She smiled at Byakuya and looked away with a small blush filling her cheeks. He saw her embarrassment and turned his face away from her and blushed just the same.  
“Thank you for watching me dance. I hope it brought you some comfort. Also, thank you for complimenting me for my dancing. I do it to help increase my stamina and endurance. It was something I had saw my mother do when I was little. I just hope that I do it as graceful as she did.”  
Byakuya went back to looking at her. He understood the feeling of not living up to the expectations of those that came before him. He reached out for her hand but stopped himself. He didn’t know her like that to reach for her. He realized how far away she was considering she was standing a few steps away from him. He kept his thoughts about her to himself but decided to encourage her.  
“I think that you are an amazing dancer, and your Soul Image is perfect just how it is. It is important to differentiate yourself from your copy, so that people will know who the real you is. Thank you for showing me these wonderful things tonight even though I was not formally invited.”  
“You’re welcome. Thank you for the encouragement.”  
Midori looked back at him and stared into his deep gray eyes. He was younger than her by at least five years. She could tell by the way he was not fully mature like many of the other boys in her classes at the Academy. He looked familiar to her though like she had seen him before. She couldn’t place who he was, but she was happy to hear his words. She bowed to him and waved goodnight. She walked back to her uncle’s division, leaving Byakuya to watch her safely enter the building.  
She smiled all the way up to her room. She had never shown off like that before, but it was the only way to figure out if someone was watching her like she knew there was. She entered her room and changed her clothes. She took the basin of water that was brought into her room and began washing the sweat off of her. She was thrilled about tomorrow. She could not wait to hear her name at the top of her class. She got in bed and stared at the ceiling. She would from time to time open her eyes and close them, waiting for sleep to take over so that tomorrow would come soon.

*****  
The graduation ceremony was held in the mass stadium that was designated off from the main Academy building. Midori sat with her classmates waiting for the ceremony to start. The captains were seated to the right of Commander Yamamoto, and elderly bald man with a large scar on his forehead in the shape of an X. He had a long beard that went down to his waist, and he carried an old wooden cane with a large top knot on it. Midori could clearly see her uncle sitting next to Lisa. She looked over to them and noticed that Lisa had spotted her. She waved. Shunsui did a small wave on his lap at her, and Lisa smiled while nudging him in the side. Midori was so excited for and waited patiently to make the announcement to everyone in the Seireitei that she would become a member of her uncle’s division. She had concluded this fact last night before falling asleep.  
Commander Yamamoto began a long speech about becoming part of the Seireitei, and how it was the duty of all Soul Reapers to secure the safety of the people in the Soul Society and the humans of the World of the Living. It was a tradition to make this speech in order to give the graduating students the fully list of expectations when becoming part of the Seireitei. After his long hour speech, the graduating commencements were underway.  
“This year, we had decided to change the rules for the student with the highest marks. They will get to choose which division that they will become a part of. This student has received the highest marks in all of the tasks given to them and has shown a vast amount of knowledge and skill for such a young age. The student who will be able to choose which division they will join is, Nanao Ise. She is the niece of Shunsui Kyoraku and comes from the house of the Ise clan.”  
Midori’s heart sank. She looked over to her uncle whose eyes were widened in surprise. She didn’t know if hearing that Nanao was his niece was a surprise, or the girl who he knew was his niece failed that surprised him.  
She stared at Nanao. She was smiling and did not even notice that Midori was looking at her. The classmates that they both went through the Shinigami Academy with all watched Midori as her heart fell like a rock in her stomach.  
Commander Yamamoto began, again, “The second student who showed remarkable talent is also the niece of Shunsui Kyoraku. It seems that strong genes run in the Kyoraku family,” he looked over at Shunsui, who smiled and rubbed the back of his head, “This student has impressed us with her Soul Image, a technique that has never been seen in all the Soul Society. Midori Kyoraku has received the highest marks in all of her classes as well, and though it was hard to tell the difference between the two young ladies, the fact that the reservations from the teachers has placed these two as such.”  
Midori’s face was either red from the embarrassment of everyone looking at her or the fact that she was upset, but she knew that she would not be able to pick her uncle’s division. She had some kind of hope that Nanao would not pick his division because the top ten students could not become part of the same division was always a rule that she had taken in consideration when she thought about which division to choose if she was the number one student.  
She sat with all this in her head and didn’t hear Commander Yamamoto ask for Nanao’s decision. She saw Nanao stand up from her seat and focused in on her words.  
“I have chosen to be placed in the 8th division with my uncle. I have longed to get to know him and working with him seems the best way to do so.”  
All Midori could hear was the shattering of her world crumble in her mind. She would have to leave her uncle’s care. She would have to leave Lisa.  
Suddenly, the captain from the 6th division, Ginrei Kuchiki, stood and spoke out to Commander Yamamoto, “Commander Yamamoto, our division 6 will take Midori Kyoraku as our 3rd seat. She will make a wonderful candidate for our division, and we gracefully accept her as one of our own.”  
Another captain from the 3rd division, Rujuro Otoribashi stood at the same time as Ginrei Kuchiki to speak for Midori, but he was too late. He sat down after Commander Yamamoto acknowledge Ginrei’s request. He looked absolutely defeated. A roar came from the crowd as everyone began talking amongst themselves. This type of uproar caused people to turn and stare at her. She felt complete embarrassment. If only Nanao would have chosen a different division. If only she would have made a better impression on the teachers. If only she would have been better.  
She heard the crowd go silent as Commander Yamamoto focused in on Midori, “Well, Miss Kyoraku would you accept the generous offer of Captain Kuchiki? It is a high honor for a student just out of the Academy to receive the honor of a 3rd seat.”  
Midori stood from her seat. Her stomach and her legs quivered from the exhaustion of her mind and the toll she was pushing on herself for not getting to be a part of her uncle’s division. She looked up at Commander Yamamoto and then to Ginrei Kuchiki.  
“I humbly accept your request to join the 6th division of the Seireitei. Thank you for such an honor as 3rd seat in your division.” Midori resumed sitting after her words left her mouth.  
When the commencement was over, Midori took off from the crowd. She silently walked through the crowd making sure not to cause anyone to notice her. She needed to get out. She wanted to find a place to feel safe. A place that she could breathe, think, and process what had just happened. Her breathing was beginning to become heavier. She could feel something covering her as if to smother her entirely. She exited the crowd and placed her back against the wall outside of the crowded stadium. She breathed in and out hard. Trying to control her breathing, she stared up at the clouds that rested above her in the sky.  
She heard a voice coming from beside of her, “Do you need a place to rest?”  
The voice was familiar. She looked sideways and saw the same gray eyes of the boy from the pond last night, Byakuya.  
“Please.”  
He grabbed her hand and took off with her in tow toward the 6th division barracks. Her palms were sweaty in his hands, but she gripped his like her life depended on it. Just outside of the barracks was a large luxurious pond that was twice the size of the one that was below her room in the 8th division. She could feel the pressure release from her as she fell to the ground beside the pond cupping her face with her hands. Tears flooded down from her eyes even though she tried to hold back the tears in front of Byakuya. He sat down beside of her and placed his hand on her back. She was startled by this but allowed for the comfort from another person besides Lisa or Shunsui.  
Byakuya rubbed her back in a circle like his mother did for him when he was upset. He leaned over in a voice a little louder than a whisper, “Why are you upset, Midori?”  
She stopped and stared shocked at the ground. Why was she crying in front of him? Why was she letting her guard down in front of this boy? What was it about him that caused her to feel a resemblance of safety like she does around her uncle and Lisa, or the way she felt around her parents? She wiped the tears away and looked at him with a crooked smile on her face.  
“I don’t want to be separated from my uncle,” her voice showed a childish reflection of what was inside of her, but it was expressed to Byakuya with such maturity.  
The reflection of her eyes as they stared at him caused a pink blush to appear across his cheeks.  
He began to explain things that would hopefully help her, “It won’t be so bad here in the 6th division. My father and my grandfather are the captain and lieutenant over this division. They aren’t bad people, Midori. I will always be around here to keep you company too aside from my own studies.”  
Midori finally realized why Byakuya was so familiar to her. He was the son of Sojun Kuchiki. She remembered this man from the times when he would come and speak to Lisa about official things. Byakuya was his exact replica. She didn’t care. She didn’t mind. The Kuchiki clan had to be the next step in her life that would help her trust people and welcome them into her heart. Her uncle had tried for thirteen years, and now she had to learn for herself how to become a better well-rounded person that people could rely on.  
She sat there smiling at Byakuya. He felt happy that he could help someone, especially her. She reminded him of his mother. She was gentle but held a mystery that he could not understand or yet know. He hoped that one day, Midori would open up to him about this secret she hid behind her smile.  
Footsteps came from behind them that made them turn to face who was coming to greet them. Midori rose from her place beside the pond and faced an older Byakuya. He was younger than her uncle with long black hair that he had pulled back by a piece of hair jewelry that showed nobility called a kenseikan. It had to be Sojun, her lieutenant. She bowed.  
“My name is Midori Kyoraku and I thank you for welcoming me as the 3rd seat of the 6th division. I will work hard in order to make sure that the position that you and Captain Kuchiki have given me never falters. It is my honor to serve you, Lieutenant Kuchiki.” Sojun surprised at Midori’s sudden introduction smiled while placing a hand on his sons head.  
“Midori, thank you for introducing yourself to me, but you can call me Lieutenant Sojun or Sojun if you would like. It will help distinguish between me and my father. I also want to thank you for looking after my son, who seems to run off a lot these days.” He looked down at his son smiling.  
Midori rose from her position and began to explain, “Lieutenant Sojun, your son has been the biggest help for me, today, and I would like to say thank you to him for taking care of me.”  
Sojun smiled at Midori. He had such a genuine smile that made her feel safe, just like Byakuya. The blush on Byakuya’s face seemed to appear again as Midori was praising him for helping her.  
“Well, it seems we need to get back to the commencement. You will join us, won’t you?” Midori shook her head and followed Lieutenant Sojun and Byakuya back to the commencement hall.  
She stopped at the entrance when she saw Nanao walking out. She stood in her way.  
“Nanao?” Nanao stopped and looked into Midori’s violet eyes.  
Inside of the commencement hall, Shunsui and Lisa were standing within ear shot of Midori and Nanao.  
“Yes, Midori?” Nanao said to her.  
She was only 13, five years younger than Midori, but she had the same maturity as her.  
“I just wanted to let you know that I fully understand why you want to be a part of Uncle Shunsui’s division. He is a wonderful man, and Lisa, his lieutenant, is a wonderful woman. I want you to know that they are both people I cherish, and they will cherish you like they have cherished me. I hate the fact that you chose to be a part of uncle’s division because that was the choice I wanted to choose, but I understand the meaning behind it. It just hurts me to leave them. I don’t want to go anywhere where uncle is not there. I don’t want to be apart from uncle,” Midori began to cry, “I want you to know that I see Uncle Shunsui as my father, and Miss Lisa as my mother. They have always been there for me, and I don’t want anything horrible to happen to them. Please, look after them for me in my absence.”  
Lisa and Shunsui looked at each other. Their faces were pink from hearing Midori’s words. Nanao turned her head to look at the scenery to her left. There were a small section of little yellow flowers that were dancing in the wind. She did not meet Midori’s eyes, again.  
Midori turned to walk away when Nanao spoke, “I know how it feels to lose everything too, Midori. I will look after Shunsui and Lisa for you as you go on to the 6th division. I want to feel toward them the way you feel about them, now. Do you think that could ever be possible?”  
“Sure, it’s possible. Anything is possible if you trust and believe in Uncle Shunsui.”  
Those words left Nanao speechless as she turned back to see Midori walking toward the 8th division barracks. The words Midori said hit Shunsui in the heart. A large weight and pressure enclosed on his heart because he would be separated from her. He slid around Lisa and raced after Midori, rushing past Nanao as she stood dumbfounded, but in awe that his love for Midori was so strong. The things that Midori had said was right that getting close to him was possible if she believed and trusted Shunsui. Lisa appeared beside of Nanao to comfort her if Shunsui’s actions caused her any grief.  
“There bond is so strong,” Nanao’s voice cracked as if she had been crying.  
Lisa turned to her and placed an arm around her shoulder, “Their bond is beyond the bond of just uncle and niece. Midori is like a daughter to him. He has raised her for thirteen years. I guess anyone would get attached being around each other for that long, but don’t you worry Nanao, the Captain will not treat you any different. I promise.”  
Lisa smiled at Nanao as they watched the pink pattern of Shunsui’s haori disappear in the distance.


	2. Getting the Feel for Independence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories.....
> 
> Midori came to live with her uncle Shunsui Kyoraku in the Seireitei. She was raised by Shunsui and Lisa. She met Byakuya Kuchiki who watched her dance around the pond in her uncle's division. She graduated 2nd in her graduating class at the Academy and was invited to join as 3rd seat of the 6th division. Upset, she has a breakdown in front of Byakuya who comforts her the best he can. She has a few choice words with Nanao who chose to take the only spot open in the 8th division before running off with Shunsui chasing after her.
> 
> Now...Chapter Two: Getting the Feel for Independence.

Midori ran into her room and grabbed a bag from off her desk. She began to fill the contents of her room that was special to her in it. She knew that this would no longer be her home, and it caused her eyes to water. As she placed her favorite book inside the bag, the door to her room opened. Shunsui who was breathing hard slumped over. Midori looked up from her bag to see who had come to her room.  
“In a hurry to leave, are we?”  
He looked up and noticed the visible tears that fell. He rushed to her and pulled her into his chest. She was stunned but pushed her head into his chest farther.  
“I knew that this was bound to happen, but I just wanted to be near you a little longer.” He patted her head.  
“I know, kiddo. This is for the best, though. You will get to become a more independent woman like your parents would have wanted. Either way Midori, I am proud of you.”  
“But I didn’t graduate the very top of my class, I failed in that regard.”  
“Grades are beyond your abilities. I want you to go out into the Soul Society and show them what you can really do.”  
She looked up at him, and he smiled from ear to ear. He wanted to make her feel better. She stopped hugging him and went back to packing. He sat down on a chair near the balcony door and watched her.  
“You know I remember the first time you came here. You were too mature for a five-year-old that was true, but you were special, Midori.” She stopped to look at him.  
Shunsui began daydreaming of the moment he knew she was going to save him. He was crying over his brother death, her dad’s death, and all she cared about was him feeling better. That moment she reached out and touched his face to let him know it was going to be alright, he knew that she was going to become his world. He looked back to her and noticed how she looked so mature packing things into a bag. She had grown into quite a woman. He never noticed until recently when he heard the men in the squad talking about how cute Midori had become.  
“I wonder if one day she will meet someone who will take her away from me. Will I be man enough to let her go and be happy?” he was pulled from his thoughts when he saw a pair of violet eyes staring deep into his.  
“Deep in thought, uncle? I want to break down and cry, you know, but when you told me you were proud of me, it melted all my fears away. You always know how to keep me sane and safe,” she smiled at him placing their foreheads together, “Thank you.” He hugged her and smiled.  
“You have to promise that you will never let a boy take you from me, you hear.”  
“Uncle Shunsui!”  
He sat back laughing, and she joined in while hitting him playfully on the shoulder.  
*****  
The next day, Midori took her bags and began her walk to the 6th division barracks. On the way out of the 8th division gate, she noticed that Nanao was walking up. Midori could not believe that she was five years younger than her. She acted so mature.  
Nanao noticed Midori and stopped, “What you said to me yesterday, Midori, I want you to know that I understand your feelings. I hope that you will not feel misplaced by coming here to visit our uncle. I am sure he would love that, and maybe, I can get to know you better.”  
She smiled. Midori placed her hand on Nanao’s head, which Nanao kind of liked.  
“I will. It will be good to get to know you. Please, take care of Uncle Shunsui for me while I am gone. Oh, and Nanao, my uncle prefers mature girls.”  
Midori smiled and walked away. Nanao knew then that she was trying to tell her how to gain the respect of Captain Kyoraku. She watched Midori as walked down the stairs and disappeared out of the gate.

*****  
Midori walked up to the gates at the 6th division. It was different from the 8th division barracks. The gate was connected to a large building and opened up into a large courtyard. There were decks and building that encircled her into a square shape. The rooms all had balconies that overlooked the grounds below their barracks that rested over an outcropping. She was greeted with respect from a couple of men who bowed at her.  
“Welcome, 3rd seat Midori Kyoraku.”  
She turned to them and rubbed the back of her head. It had been a habit that she picked up from her uncle over the years when she felt embarrassed.  
“You don’t have to speak to me so formally like that. You can just call me, Midori. Thank you so much for the welcome.”  
A man appeared before them, calling to her, “Hello, Midori.”  
It was the familiar face of Lieutenant Sojun Kuchiki. She smiled at him.  
“Hello, Lieutenant Sojun.” She bowed to him.  
“Let me take you to where you will be staying, and then to the Captain. He would like to lay out your orders while being here in the 6th division.” Midori nodded her head in agreement.  
On the way to her room that sat across from the large building that held the gate, Byakuya came running toward them being chased by Yoruichi. She was a slender, well-endowed woman with short purple hair that curled out from the sides like cat ears and golden eyes. They were “training.” Byakuya smacked into Midori and caused her to fall down with him on top of her.  
“Be careful.” She looked up and saw a familiar set of gray eyes.  
“Son, please apologize to Midori.”  
He got up from the ground and helped Midori to her feet. He fixed his uniform before looking up at her, embarrassed.  
“I am sorry I knocked you down, Midori.” He smiled. She returned his smile and patted him on the head.  
“It’s ok, Byakuya.”  
Yoruichi and Sojun stared at the two. They could see that Midori and Byakuya had an interesting relationship between them, and it surprised them. It was like an older sister and a brother picking on each other to Sojun, but Yoruichi saw something different in Byakuya. It was like he liked Midori.  
Byakuya swatted Midori’s hand away when a blush rushed onto his face, “I am not a little kid.”  
“Oh, sorry, but weren’t you just playing tag?”  
“It is an endurance exercise, not a child’s game.”  
Midori covered her laugh, “Well, have fun!”  
Byakuya looked annoyed and grabbed Yoruichi by the hand. Yoruichi was staring at Midori but stopped when she was forced to follow behind Byakuya.  
“Who is she?” Yoruichi wondered.  
Midori continued behind Sojun to her room. She placed her bag inside the door and followed him to the captain’s office. It was on the west side of the large square courtyard, only five rooms down from hers. Sojun slid the door open, and they walked in. An incense was burning next to her new captain’s desk, and he was busy looking at important division documents. He looked as old as Commander Yamamoto, but she could see Sojun’s resemblance in him. He had just as many wrinkles as Commander Yamamoto, and his mustache stopped at the corners of his mouth. His hair was white as snow and fell past his shoulders. She made sure to be respectful to him since he spoke up for her during the ceremony. She bowed.  
“Midori Kyoraku, welcome to the 6th division. I have already laid out orders for you over the next 12 months. Please listen and do not reply until the end,” she nodded her head in agreement, “You will become an intelligence member. I want you to take the time to infiltrate and learn all you can about different divisions in the Seireitei. I want you to bring me the information that you think will be helpful and beneficial to all of the members of our division. This information must be of importance and useful in the field. I will not agree to any missions that place you in the field unless it is absolutely necessary. Your first five years with us will be mediocre things that will help hone your inner Kido, Kaido, spiritual pressure and connection with your Zanpakuto. I would have to say that this is something you agree with,” he looked up to see her nod her head and continued, “I first want you to drop this message off to the captain of the 3rd division, Rojuro Otoribashi. He will take you to your first place of investigation. I want you to learn as much as possible from the new Department of Research and Development Institute, do you understand these orders? You will come back and write up reports on your findings, and you will be given further orders after that.”  
He looked back up at Midori. She nodded her head with understanding, but she felt very indifferent about what was going on. Why was she only going to become an internal “spy” for her new captain? Was there something going on in the Seireitei that she was unaware of, but her captain knew about?  
“Do you have any questions?”  
She looked at Captain Kuchiki who was back to looking at his documents. She got a gut feeling that she needed to ask him for this information because what she was doing was against the law of the Seireitei. She was infiltrating internal divisions to gather intel on the proceedings in their divisions. She was never trained as a stealth op. She only knew Captain Yoruichi through different stories she heard from those in the 8th division.  
She found the courage to ask, “Captain Kuchiki, I must know something important,” Sojun eyed her, “If I am to do as you wish, you know quite well that this is against the laws in the Seireitei. I am not against finding justice for things that are being done unjustly. I know you said you want this information in order to secure the members in our division, but there is something more to this isn’t there? You suspect something underhanded is happening. I can see it in your eyes even though you fail to look me in the eye. I am not a stupid child who just graduated from the academy, my uncle has taught me well, and I do understand things a lot more than people give me credit for, so please answer me. There is something more to these orders than beefing up our ranks, correct?”  
Captain Kuichiki stopped looking at his documents to look at Midori for the first time since she came into his office. He stared at Midori but found no way to intimidate her with his presence. He pulled the glasses off his nose and pointed them at her.  
“I never said you were a stupid child. This is why I chose you at the graduating ceremony. Midori, you are a capable youngster, and you seem to make friends wherever you go, as I have heard from my son who tells me how well Byakuya has taken to you. It is true that you were raised in the Seireitei, but it is also true that Shunsui Kyoraku has not coddled you like a gloating parent normally would. This was one of several reasons I wanted you in the 6th division. You are smarter in both book smarts and common sense. The way you can figure out something like what you just stated amazes me still. I will answer you honestly then as long as you do not allow this information to leave this room. I mean no one shall know not even your uncle,” he waited for her reply when he saw her nod her head in agreement he finished, “There is something happening within the Seireitei. I do not know what it is, and I was hoping by sending you out to the other divisions that you would be able to figure it out for us. To gather intelligence is something that I think you would have no problem being able to do. My son agrees with this.”  
He pointed to Sojun. Midori looked at Sojun who gave her an innocent smile, “Midori, please carry out these orders to the best of your ability.”  
She wanted to hesitate, but she found the confidence, “I will. What has been discussed within these walls will not leave this room. I will do as you ask, Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Kuchiki.” Midori turned to leave taking the message that Captain Kuchiki held out with her.

*****  
She walked out of the 6th division barracks with her head held high. She did not really understand why her new captain praised her so much, but it embarrassed her a little. A pinkish glow fell on her cheeks. She thought about what the captain had mentioned about something happening within in the Seireitei.  
“What could it be? Who could be the one trying to start trouble?” her mind raced with questions about what was going on in the Seireitei.  
She wanted to complete these orders the best she could. She wanted to forget the talk about the insurgence within the Seireitei, but it lingered in her mind.  
She walked into the 3rd division barracks and was greeted by Lieutenant Iba. She was a short lady with one large streak of white hair that she had combed back against her natural black hair. It was pointed on both sides of her ears. She was a very strict lady with a no tolerance policy for nonsense.  
“3rd seat Midori, why are you here?”  
She was surprised that everyone seemed to know who she was, but she guessed it wasn’t much of a guess considering Captain Kuchiki picked her out of the crowd to personally recruit during the ceremony.  
“I am here to see Captain Otoribashi.”  
With the sound of his name, Rojuro Otoribashi came around a corner. His golden hair bounced as she walked cheerfully over to Midori. He was a lot taller than her and had a lean physique. He was the opposite of his lieutenant because he was always in a cheery mood and was so ostentatious. His eyes fell first on Lieutenant Iba who was not happy that he was eavesdropping.  
“How can you call yourself a captain and eavesdrop like that?”  
Rojuro walked over to Midori ignoring his Lieutenant’s berating comments. He placed Midori in a hug. It caused Lieutenant Iba to throw him a disgusted look as his actions toward an inferior officer was unacceptable and beyond customary protocol.  
“Long time no see, kiddo! How is your uncle?”  
“He is doing well, Captain Otoribashi.”  
“Oh, nonsense with the formalities, my dear. Call me Rojuro.”  
“Captain Otoribashi that is inappropriate for 3rd seat Midori to call you by that. She is a new seated member of the 6th division. You should think of her position.”  
“Captain Otoribashi--”  
“No say it right, Rojuro. Come on Midori you can say it.”  
He was so close to her that he could just reach out and grab her face to make her mimic calling his name if he wanted to. Midori gulped in air. She wanted to say it, but she felt Lieutenant Iba’s eyes on her. She was embarrassed.  
“Captain Rojuro here is the message that Captain Kuchiki wanted delivered.”  
Rojuro blushed at how cute she said his first name. He was about to hug again her when she held out the piece of paper. He quickly read it and handed it the Lieutenant Iba. She was shocked at how easily he threw off his duties on her.  
“You can handle this, Iba. I am going to the Institute today and do not want to be bothered. Midori, you will come, won’t you?”  
Midori nodded her head and followed beside of Rojuro. He was happy and bubbly that Midori spoke his first name. He looped her arm in his and off they went to the Department of Research and Development Institute. Midori wondered how in the world Captain Kuchiki knew that Rojuro was going to the Institute on his own, but perhaps, they were working together to uncover the truth behind the secrets of the Seireitei. She did not speak about it to Rojuro because of her promise to tell no one.  
Walking toward the Institute, Midori watched as everyone gawked at her and Captain Rujuro. They did not understand their relationship, and it did not stop them from staring and whispering. Midori had met Rojuro during one of her classes at the Academy, and then later when he came to see her uncle at the 8th division. She had gotten to know him pretty well. They both had the same interests in books and would talk for hours about them. There were even times when they would borrow books from one another. She liked being friends with him even if he was older than her.  
“Midori, how are you doing being away from your uncle? I know that it must be hard being away from someone that was a part of your life for so long.” She wanted to hide the truth from everyone how bad she felt, but she was trying her best to enjoy her time away from him.  
“It is going well. I really like the people at the 6th division barracks that I have met so far. Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Sojun are really nice, and they respect me as a vital member of their team, but there have been moments already when I miss Uncle Shunsui.”  
She loosened her grip on his arm to stop and stared down at the bank along the road they travelled to the Institute. She noticed a yellow rose growing and thought it suited Rojuro. He watched her but felt that he needed to clear the air about something. It was his name. It killed him that she did not want to call him by his name.  
“Midori, why do you not want to call me by my first name?”  
“Oh, it’s just I don’t want to be reprimanded for being so informal, is all. Plus, your name is kind of hard to pronounce both ways. I normally have to think about it before I even say your name.” He chuckled at her nervousness as she spoke about his name.  
“Well, what would be easier for you to call me? A nickname perhaps.”  
He looked at her waiting for her reply. She stared at the rose on the bank for a while and looked at him and smiled.  
“Captain Rojuro Otoribashi, when I saw this rose,” she walked over and bent down to rub her fingers along its petals, “I thought about you. I thought about how sweet you are as a person, how nice you are to those around you, but then I thought about the thorns. They would represent your fierce side to fight injustices in the world. How fierce you can be when you are willing to fight for the people who are important to you. Then, I thought about the color, it looks just like your hair. I thought about you name, Rujuro kind of sounds like rose when you say it fast enough. It made me think, would you like to be called ‘Rose,’” she looked up at him while still holding the petal between her fingers and using her other hand to place her hair behind her ear, a light wind blew.  
He blushed at her. Midori was so mature for her age. It was like she had changed overnight into this blossoming flower that was finally in full bloom. His blush deepened as she picked the flower and came back to his side. She started smiling again and pushed the rose gently into his hands, so that the thorns would not hurt him.  
“Here, this is for you, Rose.”  
He took the rose in acceptance of his new nickname and raised his arm. Midori took his arm, and they happily continued on their trip to the Institute like a pair of silly kids. They were definitely similar in so many ways.

*****  
When they reached the Institute, Midori was impressed with how big it was. The building was huge, the size of a division barracks all on its own. Rojuro uncuffed his arm from Midori and walked toward the building to the Institute. Midori followed. She did not want to cause any type of alarm, so she kept her distance from Rojuro and just watched him. He opened the door to the Institute and held it open for Midori to enter before him.  
“I hope you enjoy this sight, it will certainly intrigue your mind, Midori.”  
She entered to a spectacle that she had never seen. There were machines all over the walls, a large desk in the center of the room that had several large tables surrounding it. There were machines and large clear containers filled with liquid on the right side of the room that aligned a railing that was placed around the higher level of the same floor.  
She saw Rojuro walk off to speak with someone as she walked around looking in awe at everything that was lit up around her. The lights coming off of the monitors and the machines were enough to light up the place, but in the center of the room was a large ball that hung down giving the whole place extra light.  
Rojuro walked up to Kisuke Urahara. He had just become the 12th division captain a year ago and worked fast to develop the Institute. He had pale blonde hair that came to his shoulders. It was messy and always out of place. His eyes were steel gray, and he seemed to always have a lazy look about him. He was busy working with documents and having his division members filing things.  
“My, Captain Urahara, this place is breath taking.” He looked up at Rojuro.  
“You finally came, thank you.”  
He walked toward Rojuro with a blocky medical device. It was an outdated model that looked like it had been worn out about a century ago, but it still worked just fine. He scanned Rojuro’s body and then grabbed a large measuring tape.  
“Why again are you doing all of this, Captain?”  
“Research, Captain Rojuro. I am having all lieutenants and captains come in to have their medical records filled out.”  
He continued to take measurements and examinations of Rojuro’s body. He held a folder with Rojuro’s information on it. There were forms inside of the folder that had blank spaces that he continued to fill out as he examined Rojuro.  
“Well, what about 3rd seats. I am sure there are some candidates in that field you would be interested in. In fact, I have brought one with me today that may interest you.”  
“I never thought about getting the information about 3rd seats since they change quite often. I am interested in seeing this guy you brought with you, if you think he would be of interest to me.”  
Rojuro chuckled. He was amused by Kisuke thinking that the 3rd seat he brought with him was a guy. He did not want to spoil the surprise. He took his hand and pointed at Midori.  
“They are right over there. Would you come over here, Midori?”  
Kisuke looked up to see where Rojuro was pointing. He noticed a girl with auburn hair looking at one of the clear liquid filled enclosures that had a swimming organism in it. Her hand was on the glass, and she stared at it with such fascination. Kisuke’s eyes widen when she came into view. He gasped at her as she looked over at Rojuro. Her eyes had not met Kisuke’s, yet. She walked over happily toward Rojuro and stopped in front of him.  
“Yes, Rose?”  
She smiled. Kisuke blushed at her smile. His stomach began to feel light as butterflies appeared. He had never seen anyone like Midori. Rojuro turned toward Kisuke, which finally got Midori’s attention.  
“Midori, may I introduce you to Kisuke Urahara the new captain of the 12th division ,and the creator of the Department for Research and Development Institute.”  
Midori did not look directly at him but bowed to show respect. He was interested in why she immediately bowed to him. He had not seen manners like that in the past few generations who had entered the Seireitei. He could tell that there was something definitely different about her.  
“It is nice to meet you, Captain Urahara. This place is amazing.”  
She raised her head while placing her unruly hair behind her ear. She finally saw him. She stared right into his steel gray eyes. They kept their gaze for a few moments until Midori heard Rojuro giggle. She nudged him in the side to get him to stop making fun of her.  
“It is nice to meet you too, Midori. Thank you for the compliment. We all have worked hard to ensure the completion of this place within a year.”  
Kisuke continued with examining Rojuro. Midori was curious about why Kisuke was doing the examination in the first place, but when she saw him thoroughly looking over Rojuro, it concerned her even more.  
“Rose, are you sick?” He smiled at her.  
“No, Captain Urahara was just wanting to get medical information for the research department.” Her eyes lit up.  
“Oh wow, that is very admirable of you, Captain Urahara. That information would prove very helpful for diagnosis and treatment in the future.”  
A blush fell over Kisuke’s cheeks as he continued his examination. Rojuro looked between the two. He smiled knowing that there was something happening between. He could see it in the way that Kisuke was acting so embarrassed by everything she said to him. Midori went back to look at the tank where the swimming organism was.  
“Beautiful, wouldn’t you say, Captain Urahara?” Rojuro looked over at Midori.  
“Yes, very.”  
He knew that Rojuro was talking about Midori, not the water organism. From time to time he would steal a look to just take in her figure. She was something different to look at than what was usually around in the 12th division. It was like a breath of fresh air to see her in the Institute.  
Two research members were talking about different people in the Seireitei that the research that Kisuke was conducting would help. She heard two names that stood out to her, Captain Ukitake and Lieutenant Kuchiki. She walked toward the voices to inquiry about their conditions.  
“What has happened to Captain Ukitake and Lieutenant Kuchiki?”  
They looked at her in surprise. She was staring at them intently waiting for a reply.  
“Well miss, Captain Ukitake has been ill for many years. They say that it is cancer or something, but he has had it for so long. They say he has episodes every now and again and has to stay indoors quite often. Lieutenant Kuchiki has not been diagnosed yet, but he seems to fall ill quite often. I wonder if these two would even be able to come here to have their medical examinations done.”  
“Thank you for the information,” Midori bowed and walked over to Rojuro again, “Rose, I need to go check with Captain Unohana about something. Will you please excuse me?” Rojuro nodded in agreement. He saw the determination in Midori’s eyes.  
Kisuke had stepped over to his desk to grab an instrument to finish his examination when Midori walked right by him. Her scent catching his nose. She seemed to be in a hurry, which caught Kisuke’s eye as she walked by. She was so serious, but it only made his heart beat faster.  
“She smells like lavender and honeysuckle,” he thought to himself as she passed.  
He closed his eyes to capture her scent and then watched her leave. Rojuro noticed his pause as Midori walked by. He giggled to himself. He knew that bringing her with him was a good idea. He knew that Kisuke needed to take his mind off of his work, and his idea to do so had worked, if only for a short time. He inquired about it as Kisuke returned to him.  
“You like her, am I right?”  
Kisuke went back to examining Rojuro, he placed the ear part of the stethoscope in his hand and then without warming placed the cold compress against Rojuro’s chest.  
“Easy there, Kisuke. That was cold.”  
“It’ll help you from talking, won’t it?”  
“Oh, someone is a little touchy.”

*****  
Midori rushed to the 4th division barracks and knocked on Captain Unohana’s door to her office. When she heard the captain’s voice inviting her in, she slid the door open and stepped inside. Captain Unohana was a young woman with long black hair that was braided in the front of her uniform and blue eyes. She had been a captain of the 13 Court Guard Squad for a few centuries, but she still kept her young appearance.  
“Captain Unohana, I have heard about Captain Ukitake’s and Lieutenant Kuchiki’s conditions. I want to be able to help them the best way that I can. Is there anything that you would suggest in helping them?”  
Captain Unohana looked at Midori. She had met Midori at the Academy, and then on times when she would accompany Shunsui to the 4th division. She had gotten to enjoy her time speaking with Midori. She loved the fact that Midori was ambitious and intelligent. Midori reminded her of herself, and how she was always willing to help others around her no matter the cost or the reward. She reached in her desk and pulled out a device.  
“I use this when I go to the field, so make sure to take care of it. You should be able to use it to help us figure out what we can do to help them.”  
“Thank you, Captain Unohana. I will come straight back when I am finished. Thank you so much.”  
Captain Unohana pulled out an old medical box to give Midori in case she could administer anything for them while examining them. Midori took the box smiling at her. Captain Unohana smiled back and waved as Midori rushed off.

*****  
She entered the 6th division barracks and found Lieutenant Sojun sitting on the deck outside of his room in the barracks. The Kuchiki clan had their own separate manor that they would stay at on occasions, but both Lieutenant Sojun and Captain Kuchiki both had rooms in the barracks as well. It sometimes made things easier for them.  
“Lieutenant Sojun.” He saw the concern in Midori’s eyes as she rushed to him.  
“Yes, Midori. Is something wrong? How are your duties going?”  
She sat down, facing him. Her face was flushed from rushing over to him. He looked at her curiously. Her suddenly appearance caused him some concern on why he was the center of her attention so abruptly.  
“Why did you not tell me that you are sick?”  
He placed a hand over her mouth, trying to keep her quiet. It seemed that his illness was a secret, and he did not want anyone to find out about it. Midori grabbed his hand and pulled it away.  
“Please, do not tell anyone. Come with me.” Midori followed him to his personal room in the division. They entered. His room was plain like hers. There was a small desk that sat in the corner of the room and a chair beside the balcony. In the opposite corner of the door to the balcony was a folded-up futon.  
“How did you find out about this?” he sat down on a chair in the room. Midori stood near him.  
“I heard it at the Institute. Two of the research members mentioned that you were ill and have not been treated. It worried me, so I wanted to take action to help you.”  
He was surprised at her motivation to take action. She barely knew him. He was confused as to why she would even take an interest in someone else’s health.  
“You really should get back to your duties, Midori. I have been dealing with this for some time. I will be fine.” She ignored him.  
Standing in front of him, she pulled out the device that Captain Unohana gave her. It was an advanced version of the clunky device that Kisuke had used in the Institute. She pointed it at him.  
“Please, sit still Lieutenant.”  
The machine emitted a blue light that flowed over Sojun’s body. He sat still like she wanted him to. When the device was done, it made three beeping noises and began calculating the information. They both stared down at it curiously when the door slid open. Byakuya stood in the door.  
“Father, do you know…. Oh, Midori is here,” he walked closer to his dad, “Why is she here?” He over at his father.  
“She is here getting orders for her next mission. What did you want to know, Byakuya?”  
“I was wondering if you could tell me if you know when I will train with Yoruichi again. I am getting bored with just working on my own. I need a real challenge.”  
“I am not sure when she will come to train with you, but I am sure she will come to get you when that time comes. Just be diligent in your studies and practice on your own until then.” Byakuya smiled and then turned to Midori.  
“Good luck in your duties, Midori.”  
“Thank you, Byakuya.”  
Midori studied the readings on the device. She knew that Unohana wanted her to bring the readings back to her to figure out what was going on, but she could read them. She did not know how she could, but she knew exactly what was going on with Lieutenant Sojun. She waited until Byakuya left to explain her findings to Lieutenant Sojun.  
As Byakuya slid the door shut, Sojun turned back to Midori anxious to hear what that machine had to say about him.  
“From what I can see, Lieutenant. Your body is fighting itself. You have definite upper respiratory issues that are affecting your organs.”  
She grabbed the medical box and began to search inside for something that would help him until she could get the information to Captain Unohana for extensive measures. She placed the medicine in Sojun’s hand.  
“Please, take this every morning at least until Captain Unohana has found something more suitable.”  
She got up to leave, but Sojun grabbed her hand.  
“Midori, please don’t let Byakuya or my father know about this. Have Captain Unohana keep this a secret as well. I don’t want people to think I am weak.” She saw the pleading look in his eyes.  
“I will keep your secret, but we will get you well. Don’t worry about anything, leave it to me.”  
She extended her thumb to her chest as she took her leave.  
“She is an enthusiastic young lady. I’ll give her that,” he thought to himself.  
He smiled and chuckled, but it caused him to cough. Midori was happy with being able to read the device, Unohana gave her. She set herself toward the 13th division barracks to find Captain Ukitake. 

*****  
As she entered the 13th division barracks, she was stopped by a tall man with spiky black hair and green eyes. He wore the emblem of the lieutenant on his arm.  
“Lieutenant, can you tell me where Captain Ukitake is?”  
The man raised his eyebrow at her, “Who is wanting to see the Captain?”  
“I am Midori Kyoraku. I was sent here to examine Captain Ukitake for Captain Unohana.”  
Her last name surprised the lieutenant. He knew that last name also belonged to the captain of the 8th division. He figured the captain knew her considering he was close with Captain Kyoraku.  
“The Captain is in the field behind the barracks. You are sure to find him out there by the large oak tree.”  
Midori bowed to him and went off in the direction he told her. She walked out past the koi ponds and down a valley that led to a sole oak tree that sat on a hill. She made sure to keep the box and the device secure as she walked down the steep hill and then back up the other side. She did not see him at first and did not call his name out. She saw from the corner of her eye a patch of white hair that was being pushed by the subtle wind.  
“Captain Ukitake?”  
He looked up to see Midori. His green eyes were stuck to her. She came down to sit beside of him placing the box on the ground of her. She looked at him.  
“Captain Ukitake, I am--”  
“You are Midori, aren’t you? Grown up, but I am sure you are her.”  
She looked at him curious, but she then remembered that Captain Ukitake was her uncle’s oldest friend. She smiled.  
“Yes, I suppose so. I hate that after all these years, Uncle Shunsui never introduced us.”  
They laughed. Midori placed her hand in front of her mouth. She had a small blush appear on her face, and Captain Ukitake’s face showed the same. They looked at each other and then turned their heads away.  
Captain Ukitake placed his fist softly against his mouth, “What brings you here, Midori?”  
She grabbed the device from her uniform, “I am here to examine you for treatment, Captain Ukitake.”  
He sat up straight looking at her curiously, “Examine? Treatment?”  
She could see the reluctance in his face. She placed her hand on his and leaned forward a little. She wanted to comfort him from any type of misconceptions he had about her examining him.  
“It will be ok, there are no needles, I promise.” He blew out a sigh of relief.  
“Good.” They laughed, again.  
“If you will please sit still.”  
The wind was blowing Midori’s hair and in order to keep it out of her face, Captain Ukitake reached forward and pushed it behind her ear. Her face went red hot as did his. He jerked his hand back fast.  
“Sorry.”  
“Oh, it’s no problem. Please sit still, this time.”  
The machine whirled alive, and she scanned him. The same blue light appeared and flowed over Captain Ukitake’s body. With three beeps the scan was over, she brought the device to her reading it. Captain Ukitake studied Midori’s face while she read the device. He memorized the curve of her lips, the length of her lashes, how she scrunched her nose while reading the device. The way her hair curled on the ends but was wavy at her scalp. The wind brought Midori’s lavender honeysuckle scent to Captain Ukitake’s nose. It made his heart beat faster.  
Suddenly, Midori looked up at him and her face was grim.  
“You have lung cancer?”  
He was not surprised. He had known since he was little that he had lung cancer.  
“Captain Ukitake, your lungs are attacking your body. How are you coping with this? How long have you had this?” He saw the concern in her eyes.  
“I have had cancer since I was three years old. I almost died from it. My parents took me to the temple of Mimihagi, and he helped me from suffering too much.”  
Midori listened to his story as he talked about his battle with cancer. Midori pulled her medical box to her. She opened it and brought out a mortar and pestle to create a tea for him. He leaned back against the tree and watched her as she added ingredients to strengthen the heart, lungs, and immune system. She looked up at him.  
“Which flavor of tea do you prefer?”  
“Any is fine.”  
She added in her favorite honeysuckle flower to sweeten the tea flavor. She grinded the materials together, placed them in a small bag, and handed it to him. She also gave him some medicine that would help with his throat.  
“This should help you. If you drink this every morning, it should help you from having any kind of coughing fits. This medicine will help treat your throat if you were to have a couching fit, make sure to keep it close to you.”  
Captain Ukitake reached for the bag and his hand landed on Midori’s. She looked down and then back into Captain Ukitake’s eyes. He placed his hand on the side of her face and brought her face closer to his. Midori was shocked, was he going to kiss her? Captain Ukitake hesitated, and then let go of her. He leaned back against the tree and stared off towards the meadow.  
“Thank you for your help, Midori. I am sorry for being so forward with you.”  
Midori grabbed the box of medicine and got up to leave. She stopped beside of Captain Ukitake and leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. She did not wait for his reply.  
“You’re welcome. Now, we are even.”  
Captain Ukitake touched his face and glanced around the tree to watch Midori leave. The wind blew her hair beautifully in the wind. The way she left mesmerized him. He was hooked on her. He went back to leaning against the tree with a smile on his face.  
“I’ll hold that against you one day, Midori. I am so glad you are happy and have grown into quite a beautiful woman. I am sure Shunsui is extremely proud,” his thoughts were filled with her the rest of the afternoon.

*****  
Midori headed back to the 4th division barracks. Her face was beet red. She had kissed Captain Ukitake. She placed her hand on her lips and closed her eyes smiling. When she reached the 4th division barracks, she took all the things she had borrowed to Captain Unohana. As Unohana was reading the paper she put the information from her examinations on, Midori gave her report.  
“Lieutenant Sojun has an upper respiratory infection with some kind of parasite that is affecting his organs, and Captain Ukitake has recurring lung cancer that has not degenerated from stage 2. I have given Lieutenant Sojun medication to help with the upper respiratory infection, but I did not know how to diagnose completely the parasite affecting his organs. I crushed up medicines for immunity, lungs, and heart with honeysuckle and made a tea for Captain Ukitake that should help with his lung cancer and gave him medication for his throat in case he was to have any coughing fits.”  
Captain Unohana was impressed that Midori knew exactly what to do. It made her have even more confidence in Midori’s ability to be a medic. She wished that she had spoken up during the graduation ceremony and made her part of her division.  
“So, you could read that device, Midori?”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
Midori looked embarrassed. Captain Unohana took her older device back and pulled out a small compact device. It was more handheld and seemed to be a newer model.  
“I will ask that you keep this on you at all times and to administer treatment that you see would help the patient.”  
Midori smiled and took the device. She could not believe that Captain Unohana trusted her judgement so easily.  
“Thank you, Captain Unohana. I will do all I can to ensure the safety of the Soul Society.”  
“I will study these results and make further measures to ensure that the patients are taken care of.”  
Midori paused and Captain Unohana looked at her, “Lieutenant Sojun would like for us to keep his illness to ourselves.”  
Captain Unohana nodded her head in agreement. She gave Midori the medical box to use in her treatments in the future. She gladly accepted it and exited the 4th division barracks. 

*****  
She walked down to the pond that was between the 11th and 12th divisions. She sat down on a rock. Her day was indeed eventful. She had helped two people who were important to her, and she had met a new captain at the Institute. She thought back at the 12th division Captain, Kisuke Urahara. She remembered his steel gray eyes that seemed to look at her and not through her. Her thoughts seemed to manifest themselves as a shadow appeared next to her.  
“Why are we sitting here alone? Are you thinking about me?”  
She looked up to see Kisuke Urahara who was taking a seat beside of her. He had one of those looks on his face that showed he was up to something. She watched the water in the pond, as he watched her.  
“You are a curiosity, Midori.”  
“What do you mean, Captain Urahara?” She stared at him from the corner of her eye.  
“You leave my Institute today when two of my members mention the illness of others. Did you go and save them, like a superhero?” She turned her head to stare at him in shock.  
“You are making fun of me.”  
“I would never do that. You fascinate me is all.”  
“And what is so fascinating about me?” He raised an eyebrow.  
“Your eyes are fascinating as they are staring at me right now, and it is stirring something within me.”  
Midori turned her face back to the pond and a blush crept across her face. She could even feel it on her ears. She knew that he was trying to flirt with her, and it made her feel a little giddy inside. She tried her best to hide her embarrassment.  
“Now, why did you do that?”  
He reached toward her face and pulled it to look at him. She averted her eyes. He was teasing her, and she knew it. It was not something that amused her.  
“I don’t appreciate the mind games, Mr. Urahara. You think just because I am young that you can mess with me,” she huffed.  
A smirk played across his face, “Just fascinating, is all.”  
He looked out at the pond. The fact that he could spend a few moments with her even if they were in silence was enough. She pulled her knees into her chest and watched the frogs jump the lily pads.  
“Your Institute is pretty amazing. I have never seen anything like it.”  
“Didn’t you say something like that earlier?”  
“Yes, but you were so busy I didn’t think you would have time to ponder what I was really saying.”  
He leaned closer to her making sure his lips were close to her ear. His hot breath caused chills to cover her chilled body.  
“Oh, I did the moment they came out of your mouth.” She ignored his closeness.  
“May I return here tomorrow?” she knew she had to even if she didn’t ask, but she wanted to be polite.  
He returned back to his position and watched her. He could see that she wasn’t going to play along with his teasing.  
“Are you not afraid that I would tease you some more?”  
Midori rose from her spot to leave. She did not want to answer his question. In all honesty, she really did not know how to reply to him. She had never had this happen to her before. It was all new to her.  
“I will leave you to the rest of your night.”  
Kisuke rose quickly and grabbed Midori’s arm before she left. He pulled her close to him. Her hand landed on his chest. They stood there within each other’s reach for some time.  
“Captain Urahara?”  
She looked up at him. He stared down at her smiling.  
“Will you let me tease you, Midori? Like I said you are fascinating to me. I want to know more about you.”  
Midori blushed. She was at a loss for words. She couldn’t turn him down. She couldn’t tell him yes even though her body was screaming it. She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers in his. She felt the warmth of his large hand over her own. He looked down to see what she was doing. Without a word, she let go and walked away. She looked back once.  
“I will see you, tomorrow.”  
She waved to him as she disappeared toward her barracks. Kisuke smiled and anticipated her return the next day to the Institute. He walked back to his barracks thinking of ways he could tease her. He was not lying when he said he wanted to know more about her. He was eager to learn who she was, and what made her tic. Rojuro had been right, he was fascinated with the girl who was a 3rd seat.

*****  
Midori entered her room and sat down on her futon. Her face was red and warm. She placed her hands on either side of her face. It was two men today that made advances toward her. One was her uncle’s best friend, and the other was the young Captain of the 12th division. She laid down and stared at the ceiling. She was overjoyed by everything. It made her happy. She was excited to begin her duties of infiltrating the Institute for Captain Kuchiki. She would find out what he wanted to know, and she would be able to get to know Captain Urahara better. She smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.


	3. A Secret Discovered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Shunsui goes to comfort Midori. She leaves the 8th division to join the 6th division. Her first meeting with her new captain reveals her reasoning for being in the 6th division. She goes to the 3rd division to deliver a message to Captain Rojuro Otoribashi, who invites her to go to the Research and Development Institute. She meets Kisuke Urahara for the first time, and he seems really interested in her. Overhearing from two research members about the health of her lieutenant and Captain Ukitake, Midori takes it upon herself to examine them and help diagnose their conditions. With help from Captain Unohana giving her a medical device to help along her examinations, she helps them both, and takes her findings back to Captain Unohana. Midori gets to know more about Kisuke Urahara.
> 
> And now.... Chapter Three: A Secret Discovery...

Midori happily walked to the Institute. On her way to the door, she noticed a tall slender man with messy brown hair and glasses walking toward her. She spotted a lieutenant badge around his arm. It seemed traditional for every lieutenant to wear their badge on their arm in this fashion. Midori bowed when he walked by. He noticed her immediately.  
“So, you’re the 3rd seat of the 6th division, Midori Kyoraku? You are very formal.”  
She rose from her bowed position to look at him. He was young, but there was something that was hidden behind his eyes. She couldn’t quite figure it out. She gave him a false smile.  
“Yes, sir.”  
“What, may I ask, are you doing here at the Institute?”  
“I am…,” she needed to conceal from him what she was really doing. She did not trust him at all. He seemed like he was up to something.  
“I have come by to see if Captain Urahara needed any help with the medical examinations.”  
“Oh, I see. Resourceful, aren’t we?”  
He smiled at Midori which sent a chill down her spine. He walked away leaving her there. She did not like him, whoever he was. It was his eyes, and the way he creeped around. She knew she needed to keep an eye on him. It was kind of rude that he did not mention his name, but then again, she did not ask him.  
Midori opened the door and walked in. She saw Captain Urahara examining another Lieutenant, so she walked around looking for things that seemed out of place. A few moments after looking around and two research members approached her.  
“It’s nice to see you again, Midori.”  
She smiled at them, “Thank you. It is nice to be back. Did you need something?”  
The other research member walked forward, “We need you to get something down for us. It was placed on a really high shelf, and we both are kind of scared to get it down from there.” Midori looked confused but obliged.  
She walked over with them and saw a long ladder leaning against a really tall shelf. She began to walk up the ladder to retrieve the three books the research members needed. Midori’s legs shook as she climbed. It was true that heights did not bother her, but the fact that the ladder was unstable did not help her in this task of reaching the top. Her stomach began to feel nauseous as she climbed it. As she got to the top, Kisuke had noticed that she had climbed up that far. He kept an eye on her out of the corner of his eye. He knew how wobbly that ladder was.  
Midori reached the two books that were on the edge but did not see the other one.  
“I only see the two,” she yelled down to them.  
“The other one may be behind them. Can you check, please?”  
“Sure,” Midori mumbled to herself.  
She pulled the two books she found off the shelf and placed them in one hand. She took her hand holding her position on the ladder and reached further onto the self to find another book. She pulled at it, but it was stuck. She leaned the two books between the ladder rail and the book shelf, so she could use her other hand to get it unstuck. The two books began failing and hit the floor with a loud boom. Midori felt a surge of sparks go through her body. Her heart pulsing so hard that she had to breath in hard. The sound drew the attention of everyone, but then Midori lost her balance and began to fall.  
There was nothing she could do but close her eyes, clinch the third book in her hands, and brace herself for the impact of her backside hitting the floor, but it never happened. She felt two warm, masculine arms under her. She opened her eyes when the people in the Institute began clapping. Captain Urahara had caught her. She reached up and hugged him. It was an instinct for her in this situation. She wanted to feel safe, and at this moment, he was her safety. Everyone in the room to glance away from them.  
“Thank you. I thought that I was really going to be in some trouble there. My heart is still pounding.” Captain Urahara laid his head on her shoulder. He could hear how fast her heart was beating. His face was filled with relief that he had caught her in time. He then realized what he was doing and sat Midori down on her feet. He turned to go back to examining.  
“It’s good that you retrieved the books they wanted, but don’t do that again.”  
Midori stood there watching his back. There was something off about him. She wanted to ask, but then again, he was like two different people when there were people around and when they were alone. She turned around collecting the other two books. She walked over to the two research members and handed them to them. She kept looking at Captain Urahara.  
“He is amazing, isn’t he? Smart and heroic,” the female research member told her.  
She knew exactly what the research member meant. Kisuke Urahara was a very amazing man. He knew exactly what to do to make Midori’s heart skip a beat, and at this very moment, her stomach was filling with butterflies over him saving her life. She turned back to the research member to inquire about the lieutenant who had just left the Institute.  
“Who was the lieutenant that just left? He has brown hair and glasses.”  
“Oh, you mean Sosuke Aizen. He is good looking wouldn’t you say? He is the lieutenant of the 5th division.”  
“I see.”  
The little bit of information that the research member gave her caused her to be a little less anxious about him. She put a little memo in the back of her head to find out more about him and mention it to her captain if there was anything else to come of him being at the Institute. She went back to looking around leaving the two researchers to their work. She finally made it around to where Captain Urahara was examining the lieutenant. She watched him for some time but interjected when she saw something that could help him.  
“Captain Urahara, did you know that you could use a device like this to help examine your patients better?”  
She pulled the device that Captain Unohana had given her from her uniform and scanned the lieutenant from the 7th division, Jin'emon Kotsubaki. He raised an eyebrow at Midori as Captain Urahara looked over her shoulder at the device in her hand. The small compact device caught Captain Urahara’s interest immediately, but he tried to keep his excitement to himself as she scanned him. It whirled to life and took a scan of Jin’emon. To signal its completion, it beeped three times. The device showed his body’s internal organs and each one had an icon over it to show their condition. The screen allowed for Midori to touch it to pull up each individual organ to get a better diagnosis of their condition. She studied the device while revealing little things to Captain Urahara as she did.  
“Let’s see, the lieutenant seems to have all healthy organs except for an upper respiratory infection,” she looked over her device at him, “Have you been feeling under the weather?”  
“I have had a little discomfort in my chest lately, but I figured it was just something like exhaustion.”  
“No,” Midori handed Captain Urahara her device.  
She walked over to the door where she had left her medical box that Captain Unohana let her keep. She brought it over and placed it on Captain Urahara’s desk. Opening it, she got together some herbs and mixed together tea in a pouch and handed it to the lieutenant.  
“This should help. Take it before bed, and it will help you sleep. If you continue to feel bad, please go visit Captain Unohana, and she will be able prescribe something a little stronger.” Midori smiled as she went back to her medical box and placed the contents back in and closed it.  
“Thank you, young lady.”  
“You’re welcome.”  
Midori walked back to Captain Urahara and reached for her device. He placed it in the air so that she could not get it. Midori jumped a few times but could not reach it. Jin’emon stood there watching their exchange. He laughed. He could see that something was happening between them since Captain Urahara was flirting and teasing her so hard.  
“Well Captain Urahara, is this all you need from me?”  
“Yes, thank you, Lieutenant Kotsubaki.” The lieutenant left.  
Midori was still struggling with Captain Urahara who was still holding her device in the air. She was so close that her chest brushed against his chest, but Captain Urahara did not notice it because he was too busy playing keep away with her.  
“Where did you get such a wonderful piece of tech, and how did you learn to read it so well?” Midori stopped trying to get her device.  
“I received it from Captain Unohana, so please Captain Urahara don’t break it.”  
She leaned forward trying to use his shoulder to push her higher to get it. She was so close to him that he could smell her scent of lavender and honeysuckle. It caused him to zone out as she got really close to her device. Her fingertips brushed up against it when she felt a push of energy from in front of them.  
“Urahara, you dumbass,” a voice boomed through the room and suddenly Kisuke was being sent flying into a nearby table. Midori ran to him to make sure that he was alright.  
“Captain Urahara, are you--”  
“Why do you still act like such a child when you are supposed to be the Captain of the 12th division!”  
A young girl shorter than Midori appeared in front of them. She had blonde hair that had been pulled back in two pig tails on either side of her head with red hair bands, and a snaggletooth that protruded from her mouth. She looked really upset. Captain Urahara sat up and rubbed his head.  
“Well Hiyori, I didn’t think you were coming by today. It is nice to see you.” He handed Midori back her device. She looked at it, the screen was broken in the top left hand corner. It wouldn’t hinder her readings, but she felt horrible. It was a so special to her because it was the first present, she had ever received, from Captain Unohana. She felt irresponsible for letting Captain Urahara get a hold of it in the first place.  
Captain Urahara got up and walked over to Hiyori. He was talking to her and patting her on the head while she reprimanded him. Midori frowned at her device being broken. She placed it back in her kimono and walked over to the two research members from earlier.  
“Can you two show me around here? I would like to be of some help, so if you see anything that I can help with let me know.”  
They walked with Midori and showed her to a table that had things that needed to be sorted. She began working on it. She pulled from a pile of papers on the desk and filed them in large metal bins in their correct category. After Captain Urahara finished being chewed out, he watched Hiyori disappeared through a door and looked back to the table he fell on to find Midori gone. To his surprise, she had fixed the table and placed the documents back on it perfectly like nothing happened. He searched the room to find her at another table sorting files. He frowned a little bit.  
“Could you just stand still for a little bit?” he thought as he stared at her from a distance.  
It would be a bit before the next captain came in for his examination, so Captain Urahara walked over to peek at what Midori was doing. He came up behind her and placed the top of his head between her shoulder blades.  
“You’re upset about the device, aren’t you?”  
His presence did not surprise her, but she was upset. It was something important to her. She couldn’t believe that he would be so reckless with it. She just continued sorting while he stood there.  
“You know people will get the wrong idea about us, if you don’t stop doing things like what you are doing right now.”  
Captain Urahara picked his head up to look at her. What she said was right. The squad members would get the wrong idea about them, but it did not bother him. All he wanted to do was tease her and see her reactions to things. He walked to the side of her and slipped his arm around her waist, hiding it with his captain’s jacket.  
“How about now?” Midori’s hands froze, and her face became red. She turned fast at him with an angered look on her face.  
“Do you know that being so forward will not get a woman to like you, Captain Urahara?” He placed a hand on her cheek.  
“Well, your face tells me a different story.” He leaned down to kiss her, but she pulled away.  
“You are nothing but a bully, aren’t you? It’s not funny to play with someone, like you are.” He pulled both this hands from Midori’s body and stood there.  
He pulled up a packet of papers from the large stack on his left. He looked over them like he would if she was not there. He flipped to the last page and folded the others pages back over it.  
“Here file this in the incomplete box,” he handed her the papers, “I didn’t mean to upset you, Midori. I also did not mean to damage your device. I wanted to ask if you would be happy doing the rest of the examinations for the captains and the lieutenants since you have a wonderful devices that can cut the time in half, and you can read it.”  
“That sounds like something I could do.”  
She looked up in front of her. Captain Urahara watched her memorizing how her hair would always fall over her left eye, and how she would blow it back from her face. He smiled and placed it back around her ear. The touch of his fingers on her ear caused her ears to go red.

*****  
She worked on the sorting of the stacks of papers on the table for a while until the next patient came in, and Captain Urahara called to her. She walked over to see a tall muscular man with a captain’s uniform on. His hair was like silver and his eyes were a familiar brown. She stepped up to him. His presence kind of intimidated her. She pulled the device from her kimono and it whirled to life. The blue light from the device flowed over the captain, and after three beeps, it was finished.  
“Midori, this is Captain Kensei Muguruma, he is the captain of the--”  
“9th division?” Kensei looked down at her as she stared at her device.  
“How did you know that? I have never met you before,” Captain Muguruma asked her with suspicion.  
“Oh, that is easy, your stomach tattoo explains it to me. The 6 is for your last name, Muguruma, and the 9 is the division you are the captain of. I was skeptical about which division you were in until you kind of confirmed it with your question.” She looked up and smiled at him.  
He studied her for a few moments. He thought that there was something impressive about her, and how she was able to surmise what she knew about him from just a tattoo. He raised his eyebrow at her. He was intrigue by her in a way that he had never been about anyone before. It kind of annoyed him.  
“It seems Captain Urahara, you don’t have all kids working for you. She is quite intelligent, too.” Midori blushed from his compliment and went back to studying the device.  
“Unfortunately, Midori is not one of mine. She actually is the 3rd seat of the 6th division.” Kensei eyed Midori, curious about her being here.  
“Why would she be here working in the Institute? She is very childlike, but she has an almost adult presence,” he wondered to himself.  
He noticed the Zanpakuto across her hips. The hilt intrigued him. It was golden with a symbol of three encircling horns intertwined in a Celtic fashion. He wanted to get a better look at it and reached toward Midori to examine her Zanpakuto, but she pulled back.  
“I am sorry, Captain Muguruma, but he does not like anyone to touch him without my permission.” She laughed a little.  
Captain Urahara and Captain Muguruma stared at her, “Him?” they both asked in unison.  
“Oh yes, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi is a very jealous Zanpakuto. He only likes it when I handle him, unfortunately.”  
The words she spoke had so many perverted undertones in them that both captains grabbed their faces in embarrassment. They could not believe that she had just said that and hadn’t been embarrassed herself. Captain Muguruma looked back at Midori, seriously.  
“May I ask what those three symbols are on the hilt?”  
Midori pulled the Zanpakuto from her hips and a loud sound came from the sword. It was like her Zanpakuto came alive. She pulled it in front of her so that Captain Muguruma could see it better, but he did not touch it. She ran her fingers over the three symbols as if she was beginning an incantation by just touching it.  
“These three symbols are the symbol of the Allfather, or that is what Seigi has told me. He said it is to ensure victory in battle.”  
Midori placed her Zanpakuto back into it sheath and went back to reading the device. She did not wait to hear anything more from Captain Muguruma about it. It was almost like she was embarrassed by someone asking her about it. In a way, she wanted to keep it to herself. She went back to the task at hand as if she never took her Zanpakuto from its sheath.  
“Well, you have a clean bill of health, Captain!” she said cheerfully as she updated his file.  
Captain Urahara finished with measurements for the examination. He wanted to make sure the file was completed in all aspects of a medical file. He got his weight, height, and even the size of proportions of his body. Midori stood there and wrote down all of them that Captain Urahara called out to her. As Captain Urahara took the measurements, Captain Muguruma turned to Midori.  
“Would you spar with me some time?” Midori looked up surprised, “I would like to see your shikai and how well you fight with him.”  
“Well, I can show you my shikai without fighting you, but if you insist Captain Muguruma, I cannot refuse your request,” she bowed at his invitation.  
“I will come by at a later date, then.” He smiled at Midori as Captain Urahara finished up his measurements and left.  
Captain Urahara walked sullen faced up to Midori as she placed her device on his desk. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was upset about something.  
“Why are you upset?”  
“You like him, don’t you?”  
She pushed Captain Muguruma’s file into Captain Urahara’s face. She wanted him to understand how foolish of a question that was to ask her. She could see that Captain Muguruma was indeed handsome, but as far as liking him, she could not say. He intimidated her more than anything. She walked back to the table she was sorting and went back to work. He followed her.  
“I can see why Lieutenant Hiyori thinks you are a kid, Captain Urahara.” He watched her frustrated.  
“You seemed obliged to let him see your Zanpakuto and to accept his invitation. Plus, you analyzed his body way before you scanned it that is how you were able to suggest which division he was from. He is your type, am I right?” Midori rolled her eyes at his assumption.  
“Captain Urahara, I am a very observant person. It has nothing to do with my type. I really don’t have a type, actually. If you would have asked me about Seigi, I would have shown him to you, too. Don’t jump to conclusions that are not there, please.” 

*****  
She continued sorting until the end of the day. When everyone had left to go back to the barracks, Midori went to Captain Urahara’s desk. He was sitting there looking at a document. She grabbed her device that was still laying on his desk and placed it in her kimono. She went to grab her medical box but was stopped by Captain Urahara’s hand landing on top of hers. He looked up at her and smiled. Midori knew she couldn’t leave just yet because he was hiding something behind that obviously fake smile that he gave her. She turned around placing her backside against his desk. She looked down at him sitting in his chair. She touched his hair.  
“You know, Captain Urahara, you aren’t such a bad guy, after all. You are headstrong, I will say that. You are very efficient in your work, and you care about those around you. I want you to know that I don’t like Captain Muguruma. Please, do not assume things like that about me.”  
She paused, and he looked up at her, moving her hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into it like it was something natural to him. His skin tingled from the warmth of her hand. It was soothing to him.  
“You drained my energy all day, Midori,” her eyes widen, “My heart beats faster when you are around, and I don’t know how to calm it, but with one of your touches, you calm me. I don’t know why you do this to me. I have been around many beautiful women in my life, but none of them have caused me to show signs of weakness. I was in the 2nd division before I became captain. I know how to control my emotions, but you’ve been changing me.” She pulled her hand from him, trying to stop him from teasing her.  
“I can stop coming if it will help you finish your task.” He stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders to make sure her attention was all on him.  
“Please, continue to come. I would worry if I couldn’t see you. I would wonder what you were doing when you aren’t with me. That would make my job less constructive.”  
He pulled her into his chest, and she was enveloped in his warmth. She could smell his scent of old books and vanilla. She placed her arms gently around his back laying her head on his chest. They stood there in silence for a while. She could hear his heartbeat rapidly against her ear, and it made her feel safe. Captain Urahara’s hands began to wonder into her hair. His fingers weaved themselves within the soft waves of her hair to cup her head. He pulled her head back to face his and placed his forehead against hers. Midori was surprised at how close they were, but it did not change her facial expressions.  
She stared at him in a come-hither look that she did not mean to make. He moved his face to match her lips, and he kissed her. Midori felt the world swirl in her head. She could feel his soft lips press deep into her own. Her face went completely red at his sudden show of affections.  
“Captain Urahara just took my first kiss!” her mind squealed at the thought.  
She kissed him back. She was inexperienced, but it felt so natural to her. He placed his hands on her face and held her in that moment. She could feel his tongue slide across her bottom lip, so she parted her lips a little, and Captain Urahara pushed his tongue inside. Midori had never felt anything like this before. She brushed her tongue against his softly as he explored her mouth.  
“Captain Urahara…,” she pushed out between kisses.  
“Kisuke, call me Kisuke.” Midori did as he asked her.  
“Kisuke…” This caused him to push against her as their kiss deepened.  
When he pulled away from her, the cold of the Institute encircled her lips, but she could still feel him there. He backed up but made sure his body was touching hers. He could see the pink on her face.  
“Midori, what is wrong?”  
He placed his hand on her jawline and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. She looked up at him with a silly looking smile on.  
“That was my first kiss.” Kisuke was stunned. He pulled his hand back and stood at attention.  
“I didn’t know Midori, I just assumed.”  
“What did I tell you about assuming? What exactly do you think of me?”  
He was anxious about learning that he just took her first kiss and tried very hard to analyze everything that was going on. His thoughts showed on his face. He could not understand why he had kissed her so suddenly, but knew that if he didn’t, he would lose her to someone else. When his mind showed him Captain Muguruma, he shook the thought away and looked at her.  
“I thought you had been with a guy before because you are just so beautiful.” His words caused more blush to appear on her face. She was embarrassed at the fact he called her beautiful.  
He looked serious then, “Midori, how old are you?”  
“I am 18.”  
He turned, walked back to his chair, and sat down. He began looking at the documents on his desk. Midori turned her head to the left and looked at him confused. Her heart was about to burst from her chest from all the emotions and feelings that he had just pushed onto her. She liked Kisuke. She could see by the look on his face that he was mulling over things in his head. She was curious as to they were.  
“Did I do something wrong?” He laid the document back on his desk but did not look at her.  
“I am sorry for being so forward with you, please forgive me.”  
Midori frown in the same instant that the words left his mouth. He was rejecting her because of her age. Her heart ached. She grabbed her medical box, medical device, and turned facing the door.  
“I just want you near me, Kisuke. You make me happy just being near me.” She walked at a faster pace to the door.  
“Midor--,”  
She had opened the door and exited before he could say anything. Her words played over and over in his mind. The touch of her skin and her lips on his wouldn’t leave his thoughts. He placed his head on his desk and looked sideways to where Midori had been leaning against his desk. He closed his eyes slowly still breathing in her scent. He was covered in her scent.  
Midori walked back to her barracks frustrated about what had just happened in the Institute.  
“Why did Kisuke act like that? He was into me one minute, and then completely standoffish to me in the next minute,” she pondered to herself.  
She opened the door to her room and closed it. She placed her medical box and her medical device on her table and walked over to her balcony. She ran her finger over her lips where Kisuke’s had been. She could still smell his scent on her uniform. She hugged herself and sunk to the floor. Tears began welling up into her, but she held them back. A lone tear slid down her cheek and hit her hand that was now resting on her thigh. She stared out into the courtyard below. It was barren and the pond looked lonely. She got up from the floor and walked out her room.  
She walked down to the courtyard behind the barracks and stood staring at her reflection in the pond. The sky was turning darker, and her reflection started to fade away. She pulled Seigi no Nai Seitoshi from her hip and began dancing with it around the pond as the lanterns and lights around the pond began to turn on. Up in the barracks, Lieutenant Sojun and Byakuya watched Midori as she danced around the pond.  
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she father?” Sojun looked at his son and back at Midori.  
“She really is something else.”  
They watched Midori dance around the pond for what seemed hours. Midori was lost in her thoughts. She was confused about what was happening. She was stressing. It was something that she did quite often when she danced. It was supposed to help her, but it didn’t. She stopped in an instant and fell to the ground on her knees. She stared at her reflection in the pond as the moon lit her face up. Sweat fell down her face as she breathed heavily.  
“There is nothing you can do, Midori. Just get your head back into your work and do your duty to the 6th division. Just forget his lips and his scent,” she leveled with herself.  
She placed Seigi no Nai Seitoshi back into her sheath and pulled some of the cold water onto her face. She lifted up letting the water slide down her face and her chest. The icy coldness of the water cooled her flaming hot face. It seemed to also cool her thoughts about Kisuke, as well. She sat there looking at the moon, her feet placed under her tightly. She closed her eyes and meditated.

*****  
Kisuke avoided being too close to Midori for eight months. During that time, she kept her mind busy with examinations and updating files. She met many of the captains and lieutenants from the 13 Court Guard and made fast friends with them. From time to time, Hiyori would come and fuss at her about her being there and the fact she was just taking up space. One day, Hiyori was berating Midori, when Kisuke walked up behind her. His scent pushed into her nose, and she was being taken in by him, again. A flash of their kiss made its way back into her mind.  
“Hiyori, 3rd seat Midori is here to help us with our examinations. If it were not for her, our files would not be complete. I hope you can understand this.” He did not say anything else and just like that Hiyori never bothered Midori, again.  
She kept watching him during the day, but never caught his glance. He was always busy doing something that took him away from her. She worried that maybe their encounter was just her imagination because while she was having a hard time getting him off her mind, he did not seem to have a problem dismissing her from his thoughts.  
“How can I get him to look at me?” she wondered to herself.  
She realized that she had to tease him just like he had her, but how? She had never done that before. Midori’s thoughts throughout the day while working at the Institute was how to get Kisuke to pay attention to her. It clicked when she remembered what he had said about Captain Muguruma, He’s your type, am I right? Getting him involved was going to be tricky, but she could bribe him with seeing her shikai. He hadn’t ever come back into the Institute to ask her for a sparing match or to show him her shikai, so she believed that this was the best option to get him involved in her plan.

*****  
When it was time to leave, Midori skirted out without Kisuke noticing. She walked to the 9th division barracks. It was something different to look at. Since she was a “spy,” she decided to look around and take in the barracks. It was a large white building with wooden accents and a wooden roof. She walked in through the gate and into the main barracks. She walked around listening a little about what people were talking about, and she bumped into something stout. She looked up, and it was Captain Muguruma.  
“You got to be more careful, Midori. Why are you here?” She looked sideways and saw a young slender girl with green hair and a pair of goggles on her head. She looked back at Captain Muguruma looking nervous.  
“I was wondering if I can talk to you?” He looked down at her.  
He raised an eyebrow and calmly answered, “Sure.”  
“But Captain! Who is this girl? Why do you want to talk to her? Where did you meet her?”  
Midori could see a vein appear on his forehead as he turned to the green haired girl, “It’s none of your business, Mashiro. Just go and do something besides follow me.” She got a little upset at his aggression but looked at Midori and stuck her tongue out at her.  
“Fine.” Mashiro walked away.  
Midori felt kind of bad for her, but she could see more of Captain Muguruma’s personality. He seemed to be annoyed about a lot of things including this girl he called Mashiro. He turned back to her smiling at him. He jumped back a little at her loud smile.  
“So, what do you need to talk to me about? Is there anything else about my examination you need to tell me?”  
They walked toward a secluded part of the barracks to talk better. Midori was second guessing her strategy the whole time they walked. If he could be so aggressive after a few questions would he think she was immature for asking him to help her tease Kisuke. She started rubbing the back of her head. Kensei was getting a little annoyed with her being so quiet. He backed Midori into the stone wall that surrounded the barracks and placed a hand against it to block her moving. She giggled a little while staring at the ground. She was so nervous that he had her in this kind of position. She could feel it coming, he was going to get upset with her and yell. She took a deep breath and looked hard into his eyes before he could retaliate against her. She wanted to show Captain Muguruma that she was serious about what she had to ask.  
“I have a deal for you.”  
“A deal? What kind of deal do you have?”  
She was beginning to lose her nerve again but pushed on, “I will show you my shikai and let you hold them if you will do me a favor.”  
“Them? Does your Zanpakuto turn into two separate weapons? How interesting. Can I see them now?”  
“How could he get mad at someone else with all these questions he’s firing at me,” she pondered, but thought it was fun to see a different side to him.  
“Yes, Seigi is two separate weapons when I call him into his shikai form. That is why he is called the Life and Death Zanpakuto.”  
“Life and Death…Zanpakuto! You call your Zanpakuto a him instead of them. Are their more than one Zanpakuto spirit in your blade?”  
“Not to my knowledge, there is just one Seigi.” Kensei shot daggers at Midori.  
“I want to see them, now!”  
“Wait a minute!”  
She grabbed Kensei’s hand as he reached around her. He lost his balance as Midori tried to stop him. He was too close to her as he fell on top of her, and his lips fell on her cheek. They both blushed and stood up straight.  
“I told you. I had to give you permission. You see there is a lot about Seigi’s personality that many do not know. He is a special Zanpakuto.” Kensei stood back looking at Midori.  
“Well, you can tell me. I don’t have anything to do. How about you tell me the history of your Zanpakuto, and I will agree to anything you want me to do. I mean as long as it isn’t against the laws of the Soul Society.”  
“Oh, no it isn’t anything like that. It’s really stupid, honestly.”  
Kensei took a seat beside the stone wall, and Midori followed after him. She placed her hand on her chin thinking back.  
“Are you going to tell me or think about it?”  
“Sorry!” She squinted her eyes, and he placed a hand on her head to calm her. He knew that he could be a little overbearing at times.  
“Okay, well, I was five when I came to live in the Seireitei. I didn’t know how to act like everyone around my uncle, but I wanted to be of use to him. I began trying to hone my spiritual pressure during this time. There were rumors and tales about a Zanpakuto that was created a long time ago and that it had no master. The Soul Society had it chained in a room in the 1st division and sealed it to mask its power. Many men had tried to wield Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, but he rejected them all or that’s what the rumors were. He is a very picky Zanpakuto. He told me once that he only prefers women to touch him. I didn’t understand how perverted that sounded until I got older,” she paused when she noticed that Kensei was getting frustrated with unimportant details, “Anyway, sorry. Let’s get back to the point. When I was six, I was standing by the pond in the 8th division barracks, and a huge pressure of energy started swirling around me. My uncle ran to me and found an orange light glowing around me and there was a Zanpakuto spirit bathed in green light. I remember looking up beside of me and there was a man. He looked down at me. He had the most calm expression on anyone I had ever seen. He called me his master then he disappeared, and a blade was all that was left. There were tales that the blade freed itself because of my spiritual pressure being released. From then on, I have always had him. He protects me and fights for me.”  
Midori was quiet for some time and noticed that Kensei was sitting there staring at her. He had a dumbfounded look on his face. He shook his head to snap out of it and grabbed Midori by the shoulders.  
“You mean to tell me you are the master to the Zanpakuto that fled the 1st division all those years ago?”  
“I guess so.” Midori smiled.  
“Okay. This is awesome. Can I see your Zanpakuto, now?”  
“Not yet. You have to do something for me.”  
“Yes, I am sorry. I got too excited. I will do as you ask, so what is it?”  
“I want you to help me make Kisuke Urahara jealous.”  
“What!” He slapped his hand on his face. He had already agreed to what she wanted just so she would tell him about her Zanpakuto.  
“I bet she would have told me that story even if I hadn’t agreed,” he leveled with himself. He looked at her. She was smiling her silly, goofy smile. He wasn’t annoyed by her smile. It was kind of soothing to him in a way.  
“So, tell me why you want to make that captain jealous.”  
“Ummm….”  
Midori told Kensei about her feelings and what had happened eight months ago. Another detail that he was fascinated with was the fact that Midori was only 18, and the fact that she has had that powerful Zanpakuto since she was six.  
“I understand, but you know there are other guys out there that will look your way. Why waste the energy on him?”  
Midori closed her eyes and thought about Kisuke. She remembered how it felt the day he caught her, how she felt when he held her in his arms, and how his kiss felt on her lips. She was happy and calm when he was around. He comforted her in that way.  
“Kisuke makes me feel safe. I have only felt safe around certain people since my parents died. It’s like I reenergize on their security.”  
“Safety, huh. Do you not feel safe with me?”  
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just a feeling, Captain Muguruma. I like being around you. It’s just your aggression is something I feel uneasy about.”  
“Aggression? I can show you aggression, Midori.” He leaned over and tickled her. She laughed until tears appeared on either side of her eyes. She fell over onto Kensei. He blushed and helped her sit back up.  
“I will do this for you, Midori; however, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be here for you to fall back on.” He placed a thumb on his chest. She smiled at him. They did not plan anything. It was like Kensei knew just how to make Kisuke jealous.  
“I’ll be at the Institute, tomorrow. When you see me act surprised, okay?”  
“Okay.” He walked her to the gate of the 9th division. Her goofy smile stayed with Kensei for a while. He turned from the gate going back to his room.  
“How annoying one girl’s smile can be,” he reminisced. 

*****  
Midori entered the Institute like normal. She was sorting things and looking over documents that were laying around. She examined a few people for Kisuke, but they didn’t exchange anything else between them. She felt defeated until then the door to the Institute opened and in walked Kensei. He was by himself.  
“Well, hello Captain Muguruma,” Kisuke spoke to him, “What can I do for you, today?”  
“Oh, I’m just here to see Midori.”  
He walked past Kisuke and went directly to Midori. He stepped close to her, placing his hand around her waist to rest on her hip and smelled her hair. He eyed Kisuke who was staring at them. His face flashed red with jealousy and anger. He frowned at them which caused Kensei to smile. He walked over to his desk and started working. He could hear them.  
“Kensei, please. I am trying to work.”  
“I love to watch you work, babe. Your hair smells good, today. Is that honeysuckle?”  
He took in another draw of her hair and closed his eyes. Midori’s face was completely red. It was so red that her ears were burning. Kensei noticed this and leaned toward her ear to whisper so Kisuke could not hear.  
“Do you want me to take this further?”  
Midori was flustered at his sudden forwardness. She had never had a guy all over her like Kensei was. It was becoming a little too much for her. Her head swirled with what was going on. It caused her mind to become clouded by an intense need to see where else he could take this moment.  
“How much further? I am already--”  
He stopped her as he licked the outside of her ear. Goosebumps appeared on her arms as a tingling sensation fell over her body, but she pushed him playfully. She wanted to keep him at a distance because she did not know what would happen if he continued with his teasing. She could see that Kensei was not only trying to make Kisuke jealous, but he was also teasing her.  
“Can you back it down a little. I am trying to work, please.”  
Her pleading face intrigued Kensei. He understood something about Midori, she was shy about things like this and that enticed him even more. He wanted to see what other faces she could make. He got closer to her and pulled her hair away from her neck around to her right shoulder. He leaned forward and blew a little on her neck. It tickled her. She blushed and nudged him to stop. He smiled at her playfulness.  
Kisuke got up from his desk having had enough of their banter and walked over to Captain Muguruma. He grabbed his ear and pulled him to the door.  
“This Institute is not a breeding ground. You will have to wait to enact your desires on her when she leaves. Now get out!” Kisuke pushed Kensei out the door, but before he closed the door, Kensei grabbed his arm.  
“If you don’t love her, let her go. Let a real man have her.”  
Those words burned into Kisuke’s heart. How did Kensei know that he cared about Midori? He closed the door and walked back to his desk. He looked over to Midori whose ears were still red.  
“Why did he lick my ear? Dang you, Kensei. I can’t concentrate now,” her mind kept playing the moment Kensei licked her ear. “Why did you have to blow your hot air on my neck?”  
She rolled her eyes into the back of her head, feeling his breath on her neck. It did not displease her, but she just wasn’t into him. She never knew that men could act that way toward a woman. It surprised her in more than one way, especially about Kensei. He always seemed annoyed about a lot of things, and she was one of those things that seemed to annoy him on occasion.  
Kisuke walked up to Midori, but she turned quickly toward him, smacking her head into his chin. They both grabbed their pained areas.  
“I’m so sorry, Captain Urahara. I was wanting to ask you if I could be excused for the rest of the day. I really cannot concentrate.”  
He eyed her. Her face still produced that blush from where Kensei was teasing her, it ticked him off. He could see the freckles along the bridge of her nose even more now that they were highlighted by the blush on her cheeks. He realized that if he let her leave, he would lose her to Kensei, and he could not let that happen.  
“I think you should stay here, Midori. If you need a few moments, you can sit down in the chair at my desk.” He walked away to a table in the back of the room and began studying its contents.  
“Was he jealous? Did he think I was going to go meet up with Kensei?” she questioned herself. Midori’s heart was about to jump from her chest as she sat at his desk. She placed a hand on her chest to calm herself.  
Her eyes roamed the documents on the desk, and a strange word kept popping up, Hogyoku. She didn’t want to seem like she was snooping, but what was a Hogyoku, anyway? She leaned forward a little to look more at the papers. There were calculations and dimensions for this object. She picked up a pen and scribble on them. She wanted to make a note that a smaller object would help maginify the power in a large space and it could be concealed. She really did not know why she just wrote that on his paper, but she wanted to help him with his research. She got back up from his desk and walked toward him. She stared at his back, his strong back. A back that she could touch anytime she wanted if she wouldn’t have told him she was 18.  
“What year is it anyway?” this question entered her brain as she got closer to where Kisuke was.  
She stopped right beside of him, looking at everything he had displayed on the table. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye.  
“So, how long are you going to keep avoiding me?” he did not reply, “I know that I am younger than you thought, sure, but I am also very mature for my age. If you cannot see me as anything other than a kid, I understand that, but I don’t think getting upset like you did over Kensei and me is going to solve the storm that is brewing inside of your own heart.”  
He turned quickly to her and stood there panting like he had just ran a mile. His eyes displayed hurt. A hurt that was inflicted by him not allowing himself to love her. She looked at him keeping his eyes locked with hers. She showed him the hurt he had inflicted on her months ago, but the longer she stood there the more her eyes began to water. She turned fast and walked back to her table to sort more files. It seemed that at the Institute all she got done was sort files, but that was fine. This would help her gather information for Captain Kuchiki.  
Kisuke thought about the mess he created. He had kissed her months ago, but why could he not get her out of his head. Every time, she walked by him her lavender and honeysuckle scent tortured him. The moment he saw Kensei place his arm around her it stumped him, but when he smelled her hair and started flirting with her in front of him it infuriated him. Then she came and told him how much of a child he was.  
“I am a child,” he thought, “A child who doesn’t like others playing with what was his to begin with.” He looked over at Midori.  
“I need you to stay later than everyone else.” She looked up to him staring at her,  
“Okay, but I had plans afterward.”  
“Well, they are cancelled now, aren’t they?” Midori did not know why she nodded in agreement with him, but she did.  
“Is he playing dirty?” Midori questioned herself.  
She went back to her work worrying about Kensei. He was only doing what she asked him to do, but would he really wait outside this whole time. She did not know.  
When everyone was out of the Institute, she walked over to Kisuke.  
“What did you want me to stay later to do?” She looked annoyed, but he didn’t care.  
“I need you to look at something with me,” he walked her back to his desk and pointed at the notes she left on his papers, “Did you write this?” She looked down. It was her handwriting, alright. She was frustrated earlier but wanted to help him.  
“Yes.”  
He knew it was her. He just wanted to hear her say it. He grabbed Midori by the waist and planted her against his desk. He pressed into her, which gained him a moan from her. He smiled and leaned forward toward her. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he went to her ear.  
“I appreciate your thoughts. Do you want your reward now?” Midori did not know what to do. She just stood there her face getting red.  
The door to the Institute opened and Kensei peeked inside to see Midori being blocked by Kisuke. Anger arose in him. He watched as Kisuke slid her hair behind her ear and licked the same spot that he did. Kensei stomped over to where they were and grabbed Midori pulling her into him. He glared at Kisuke who just smiled at him. Without any thought, Kensei wanted to protect Midori from Kisuke. He pulled her with him, and they left the Institute. Her body felt hot and she was quite bothered, but she was hurt by this. Kisuke was confusing her, again.

*****  
The cool air hit her body as soon as the door to the Institute opened. She was in a daze. Her emotions and her head swam. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation. She blinked and looked ahead of her to see Kensei pulling her. She stopped.  
“What is wrong, Kensei?”  
He turned around and placed her against the stone wall beside of him blocking her like the day before. She looked up at him. Her face red. He grabbed her cheek, pulling it and then rubbed it. He wanted to pull her out of the trance that he saw Kisuke had her in, but in a way, he was just as jealous as Kisuke was earlier.  
“You really are an idiot. Would you let just any guy do whatever they want with you?” His words hit her like a ton of bricks.  
“I know you wouldn’t do anything to me, and neither would Kisuke.”  
“Are you stupid or something? He could have done way worse with you, alone. I could do whatever I wanted to you right now that we are alone. Should I?”  
He reached his arm around Midori’s waist and pulled her to him. He watched her face as tears fell down her cheeks. He let go of her because he never had the intention of making her upset. He just wanted to show her how easy it was to overpower someone when they wanted something from you.  
“He isn’t worth it, Midori. I am sorry for doing that, but you have to see that you need to protect yourself more. If I hadn’t come in there sooner, what would you have done if he did more than lick your ear?”  
She stared up at him with contempt in her eyes, “He only did that because you did that. He was jealous, okay. He was jealous at the fact that someone else was with me and it wasn’t him,” she went back to being nervous and shy, “I know that I am not experienced like many of the women around here, but I know what dangers I put myself in being around you and him. I just didn’t think you would let your feelings out in the open like you did.”  
He tried to hide his reasonings as to why he did what he did, but he couldn’t, she already knew. His face dropped as he tried to not look at her. He was embarrassed at how easily he just let all of his emotions show on his face in front of her. He had never been like that around anyone, and the fact that she caused this change in him made him feel a little uneasy.  
“Listen Midori, I’m sorry. I know I promised I would help you make him jealous and all, but there is nothing more I can do. If I go farther in this with you, it will end bad for the both of us. You see, I am drawn to those who are strong, and you have a very strong will. When you told me about your past, and how you got your Zanpakuto, it started these feelings in my heart I cannot explain. When you asked me to be your fake boyfriend to get him jealous, it made me mad. I didn’t want to do it, but I had already told you I would. I just think you need to see your own worth before you allow men to throw you around like something they own.” He grabbed for her hand. She looked at him and hugged him.  
“Thank you, Kensei. Thank you for caring about me so much. I am sorry I cannot return your feelings. I hope that we can stay friends, though.” He rubbed his hand hard into her head but hugged her back.  
“Sure.”  
She started to leave, “I’ll be by tomorrow after my duties are finished and I will let you see Seigi.” He shook his head and started off toward his barracks. 

*****  
Midori walked down to the pond that was between the 11th and 12th divisions. She had all these crazy thoughts in her head, but she knew that what Kensei said was right. She needed to find her own worth and not let men toy with her. She pulled her knees into her chest. This was the place where she got to really talk to Kisuke for the first time. The frogs in the pond were hopping from lily pad to lily pad and the fireflies began to appear on the water. She stared out at it until she felt a jacket being draped over her. She looked up to see Kisuke. He was rubbing his head. He sat down beside of her and looked out at the water.  
“I see why the ponds in the Seireitei soothe you, they really are pretty.”  
“Yea, they are.”  
She didn’t know what to say any more than that. She wanted to be in his arms. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to scream to the world that she was in love with him, but she needed to find her own worth. Kisuke slid closer to her.  
“Midori, I am sorry.” She looked at him. Her hand was inches from his, and she placed it on top. He looked at her.  
“We both have done some pretty horrible things, lately,” she got up, pushing his jacket off of her and placing it back on him, “I don’t think this is going to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
She went to walk away, but Kisuke had got up from his spot at the pond. His jacket fell to the ground as he grabbed her and kissed her lips. His lips sent electric sparks through her body. She had longed to have his lips on hers. Would she fall into his grasp and be used by him like Kensei said? Could she stop that from happening? She kissed him back.  
Their kiss lasted for a long time. Midori gasped for breath allowing for Kisuke to brush his lips across hers. She had achieved what she wanted, but was it truly how she wanted it? She placed a hand on Kisuke’s cheek.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kisuke watched her leave.  
Her hair being pushed by the wind made his heart leap. She was indeed mature. A woman who had his heart at hello. He grabbed his jacket from the ground and headed back to the Institute. What she had written on his papers made him think that perhaps she was beyond her years with knowledge. He worked heavily on his work into the night. The kiss from Midori inspired him to work harder. 

*****  
They did not talk about last night all day. They would steal looks from one another all day, but as soon as it was time to go, Midori slipped out. She went to the 9th division barracks where she found Kensei with Mashiro near their division training grounds.  
“Captain Muguruma!” He saw Midori and waved at her to come over. Mashiro was annoyed again.  
“Why is she coming over here, again?”  
“She is a guest, Mashiro.” Midori soon made it to them. She smiled at Kensei and Mashiro. She stepped up to Mashiro.  
“I know you don’t like me very much, but I really hope we can be great friends!” This type of talking kind of annoyed Kensei. It sounded like Mashiro was talking with another Mashiro.  
“Okay, I think I would like that.” Mashiro saw the look in Kensei’s eyes and walked away.  
“So, today.”  
“Yes, today you get to hold Seigi.”  
Kensei’s eyes were full of excitement. Midori held her sheath with one hand and pulled her blade out with the other. Her Zanpakuto looked like a normal katana. She held the blade flat against one hand and griped the hilt with the other.  
“Protect and Make Bleed, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi.”  
A large release of spiritual pressure pushed across the training grounds, alerting many of the 9th division squad members. They looked over at Kensei and Midori but did not dare to come near them. A pair of axes appeared in her hands. One was white and the other was black. They both had a golden inlay on each one with a golden handprint on each blade. The hilt was wrapped in black leather on both axes with the emblem of the Allfather on each tip, three encircling horns. Kensei was mesmerized at how they were opposites, but their design was perfectly symmetrical. He reached for them and Midori finally allowed for him to hold them.  
He felt how light they were, and how they swung with ease.  
“They are amazing Midori! That spiritual pressure you released, was that you or him?”  
“Oh, that was all him. I have my spiritual pressure hidden. You may want to be careful.” Midori warned him because she could hear her Zanpakuto screaming in his hands.  
The axes transformed back into a katana, and a green glow appeared beside Midori, “I thought I told you that men are not supposed to touch me!”  
Kensei looked up at this new guy who was being so critical toward Midori. He was tall and muscular like he was. He had the sides of his head shaved, and the top part of his black hair was pulled back in a braid that fell on the back of his scalp. He had a well-trimmed beard and tattoos that were visible on his arms and chest because he wore a sleeveless vest.  
Midori held her hand out to Kensei and took her blade back, “I know Seigi, but Kensei did me a favor and I rewarded him by letting him hold you. Please, don’t be mad.” She closed her eyes tightly, but only felt his hand on her head.  
“I only want you to touch me, understand.” Midori took in his touch. It soothed her.  
“Yes. I understand.”  
“Midori, is that Seigi?”  
She remembered that Kensei was also there as she was being reprimanded by her Zanpakuto.  
She placed her hand on the back of her head, “Yeah. Captain Kensei Muguruma this is my Zanpakuto, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi. Seigi for short.”  
She held out her hand to show him who she was talking about and in that instant, Seigi grabbed Midori by the wrist and pulled her back into his chest. He placed his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers.  
“And you are to stay away from her. You hear me? Midori doesn’t need your negative influence on her.”  
Midori smiled with an exasperated look on her face and rolled her eyes. She knew she couldn’t say much to Seigi because he always did what he wanted to do. Kensei’s temper rose, and the two of them began spouting insults at each other.  
Midori grabbed the hilt of her blade, “Are we ready to go back in?”  
Seigi looked at her and walked to her like a dog being berated. Kensei didn’t know what to do. He had never seen anything like this between a Soul Reaper and their Zanpakuto.  
“Apologize. He was only curious about you. He already has a Zanpakuto, and you know no one is going to take you from me. You told me I could allow anyone to touch you as long as it was by my permission. I gave him permission, so apologize.” He bowed at Midori.  
“S’rry for being so arrogant, but yar still a punk!” He stuck his tongue out at Kensei, and Midori called him back into her blade.  
She looked back at Kensei who was scratching his head, “What just happened? I didn’t know Zanpakuto could appear like that.”  
“Well Seigi has ever since I was little. He said he needed to protect me until I was strong enough to wield him, and even after that happened, he just comes out ever so often to talk or check on me. He is like a big brother to me.”  
She smiled one of her silly smiles that drove Kensei crazy. He walked over and placed his hand on her face, rubbing at her cheek.  
“That is pretty cool.”  
“Yeah.”  
Kensei walked Midori back to the gate of 6th division barracks. They walked quietly for a while to let everything that had happen the past few days sink in.  
“Do I need to come back to the Institute, tomorrow?”  
“Do you want to?”  
“Not really, I have other things to do than to make your boyfriend jealous. Besides, he is no match for me,” he leaned toward Midori’s ear, “I could do things to you that would make you blush for a month.” Her face got red, but she punched him in the arm, playfully.  
“Thank you for walking me back.”  
“No problem.” She bowed at him and walked into the barracks.  
Kensei was walking back to his division when he was approached by Kisuke. They stared at each other.  
“I know she was just with you. Are you serious about her?”  
“Listen Kisuke, Midori just isn’t that into you, so just forget about her. She is in good hands.” Kisuke grabbed the collar of Kensei’s captain’s jacket.  
“What did you say?” Kisuke’s eyes lit up with a fire in them. Kensei just laughed at him.  
“You need to lighten up, Kisuke. Midori and I are not even a couple. I have been teasing her, is all. She turned me down for you.” Kensei pulled his collar lose and walked away.  
“If I was you, I would treat her better before she finds a real man that will cherish her!” Kisuke hands dropped to his sides. He got all riled up about them for nothing.  
“She turned him down for me?” Kisuke thought.  
Kisuke walked into the 6th division barracks where he met Lieutenant Sojun.  
“Good afternoon, Captain Urahara. What can I do for you?”  
“I know it is late, but could you send Midori to the Institute for me? I really need her to complete something for me.”  
“I will ask her to, yes.” Sojun smiled at Kisuke who left after their exchange. Sojun walked to Midori’s door and knocked. She opened the door to find her lieutenant standing there.  
“Captain Urahara needs you to hurry to the Institute to complete something. Oh, and Midori don’t forget to write up your reports for anything you find.”  
“Yes, I will do that in a few days, I think I have found some really helpful information.”  
Midori rushed out of her room and toward the Institute.  
“What would Kisuke need me to complete this late?” she pondered to herself.  
As she got closer to the Institute, she saw Sosuke Aizen was finishing up a conversation with Kisuke. She saw that Kisuke was irritated. She got closer to see if she could hear them, hiding in a bush beside the walkway to the Institute.  
“I think you know exactly what I am talking about, Kisuke Urahara. I want that blueprint, and I will do whatever it takes to get it.”  
“Well Aizen, until I figure out what you are talking about, then I guess you will have to keep dreaming about a blueprint that doesn’t exist.” Aizen frustrated at Kisuke’s ignorance, huffed off, leaving Kisuke standing there. He looked over at the bush Midori is in.  
“He’s gone. You can come out.” She popped her head out surprised.  
“How did I get here? I thought I was walking just now. My bad…” She went to walk away, but Kisuke signaled for her to follow him.  
“You still have work to do, Midori. Come with me.”  
On the walk to the door, Midori felt like an idiot acting like she wasn’t trying to spy, and she could see in Kisuke’s eyes that he was mad. When they entered the Institute, the building was empty. It was just the two of them. Kisuke stopped, his back to her.  
“What did you hear?” Midori stumbled over her words wrapping her fingers over each other, fidgeting. She felt a hand on her face. She looked up to see Kisuke smiling.  
“He is bad, Kisuke. I don’t trust him. I know you felt my spiritual pressure when I got upset at him being so hateful to you. I think you should stop meeting with him.” He reached his hand around her and pulled her to him.  
“Midori, do you know what you do to me?” He was changing the subject. He didn’t want to talk about Sosuke Aizen.  
“But Kisuke. We need to talk about Aizen.” He rolled his eyes.  
He walked over to his desk and looked down at it. This was his way of ignoring her wishes. She walked over to him and looked down at his desk. There was a haze over his desk. It was like a smokey film had been placed over the important documents on his desk and she could see it.  
“It’s an illusion.”  
“Smart girl. I have things that I need to keep secret. Midori, can you keep them secret, too.”  
He pulled her to the center of his desk and pushed himself against her back. She saw the desk go back to normal, and there were the plans for the Hogyoku, again. Her writing was circled over and over again.  
“I want you to do me a favor. I cannot hide it from him for long, but long enough will be best.”  
“What is it?”  
“You are capable, Midori, and I would hate to get you involved, but I need you to fake a blueprint for me. You need to make it seem real, but it cannot, and I mean cannot work. No matter what that fool does.”  
“Okay,” she agreed with him, but was hesitant at what this would do. It would cause her to become an accomplice alongside him.  
He pulled a blueprint out from the side of his desk and placed it on the table behind him. Midori walked over and saw that he had a blueprint for the Hogyoku, not just written plans. Her eyes fell over them, scanning everything that was written. Kisuke trusted her, and now, Midori had to go against the only thing she was ordered to do. She couldn’t tell anyone about this. She couldn’t even mention it to anyone.  
She looked at Kisuke who was beside her leaning on the table.  
“I will do what I can, but we need to talk about Aizen.”  
“We will. Just fake it first.”  
He placed another blank blueprint scroll on the table, and Midori began to create a fake. She drew everything that was drawn on the original, but she created equations and calculations that were impossible to manifest. She was working so hard on it that she did not notice Kisuke lingering over her shoulder. He kissed her shoulder and her neck which caused her knees to buckle a little. He held his arm around her as he watched her work.  
Midori made sure to express in the blueprints that the Hogyoku should be large instead of small and that it would have to be powered by something minimal. She even changed the shape of the Hogyoku. Kisuke smiled at how meticulous Midori was with faking the blueprint. When she finished, she wiped the sweat off of her brow. Kisuke kissed her cheek and rolled up the original and placed it back in its hiding spot. Midori turned to watch him.  
“Okay, so now we talk.” She was being persistent.  
Midori walked to him when he sat back down at his desk, “You need to tell Commander Yamamoto about this before it gets out of hand.”  
“Midori, it will be fine. I will deal with Sosuke Aizen.” He pulled her on his lap, straddling him. Midori was too flustered to notice.  
“This will get you into trouble,” Kisuke was kissing her neck, “Please, tell me you will stop working on this Hogyoku.”  
He ignored her and kept kissing her. He opened her uniform a little and kissed her bare chest. Midori noticed finally what he was doing.  
“What are you doing?”  
“I asked you earlier if you knew what you did to me. Have you thought of an answer for me?”  
She stopped his lips from kissing her chest again and pulled his face up her hers.  
“Do you know what you are doing to me right now?”  
“I hope driving you crazy because that is what you are doing to me all the time.” He kissed her lips which caused her to forget about Sosuke Aizen and the Hogyoku. She kissed him back.  
“Does this mean you don’t care about my age?”  
“It still bothers me, but what can I do when I am drawn to you so much.” Kensei’s words were still encircling her mind. She wanted to know the thing that bothered her the most.  
“What do you think about me, Kisuke?”  
He stopped to look at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She made him feel something that he had never felt before.  
“What do you mean? Sexually? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Your question is loaded.”  
“I mean as a person. Do you think I am a pushover, that I am a puppet to be pulled by strings because my heart is too weak?” He was floored by her question. He had never thought of her like she described.  
“I would never think that. Midori, you are far from a puppet. Who is treating you like a puppet?”  
“I sometimes feel that you think I am a puppet. Kensei told me that I should find my own worth before allowing any guy to have my heart. What he didn’t know when he told me that was that I had already given my heart to someone.” Her words caused Kisuke’s mind to wonder about who she possibly could be talking about.  
“Who did you give it to?”  
“Isn’t it obvious.”  
She allowed him to take her mouth with his kiss. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, which caused her mind to burn in ecstasy from the heat of it. He pulled back placing his hand around her backside.  
“Midori be my woman? Let me treat you like a queen. I will give you the world if that is what you want.”  
Midori’s eyes widen. She had been wanting to hear that months ago, and she knew she couldn’t turn him down. He had been all she wanted for so long.  
“Yes. I will.”  
He pulled her face into his and kissed her. She ran her fingers into his hair and pulled him deeper into their kiss. After this intimate moment, she leaned forward still sitting on him and rested her head on his chest. She felt safe here. Safe like she felt when she was near her uncle. She felt that here in his arms was where she was meant to be. He played with her wavy hair as she nodded off in his arms. He sat thinking about the Hogyoku. She didn’t want him to continue to work on it, but it was something that he was passionate about. He leaned down and kissed her on the head.  
She woke a few hours later, and Kisuke walked her back to her barracks, “I don’t want you walking out at night by yourself.”  
She shook her head in agreement and said sleepily, “I will see you, tomorrow.” She had a sleepy smile on her face which made Kisuke smile. She didn’t know it, but he thought her very beautiful in that instance.  
“See you, tomorrow.” He watched her walk into her room and slide the door close. He walked back to his barracks with the Hogyoku and Midori still on his mind.


	4. Realizing the Inescapable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori continued with her infiltration of the Institute. It seems that her time there caused her to become really close with Kisuke Urahara, but after he found out her age, he distanced himself from her. She bribes Kensei to help her make him jealous. While this works, Midori still worried about finding her own self worth. Midori finds out about Kisuke's new experiment, the Hogyoku. What will happen with this Hogyoku?
> 
> And now....Chapter Four: Realizing the Inescapable...

Midori woke up earlier than normal and started preparing documents to turn in to Captain Kuchiki. She wanted to make sure to have them done before her morning began at the Institute. She felt like an adult, thinking that her time at the Institute was like a job, especially working for her boyfriend felt like a job, since they had started a relationship eight months ago. She smiled at herself as she placed the last period on her report. She did not include anything about the Hogyoku, but instead wrote about the examinations and the medical device that Captain Unohana gave her. She did mention in her report that Sosuke Aizen was seen a few times at the Institute, and it rose suspicion to her. She walked into Captain Kuchiki’s office to find him at his desk like normal. She laid her report on his desk and waited for him to dismiss her. He reached over and grabbed her document. He skimmed it and saw Sosuke Aizen’s name.   
“Do you have any more information on why he would be there?”   
“No, Captain. I can continue to keep an ear open if you would like?”   
“Yes, do that and keep all this under the radar. Thank you. You can go now.”   
He was a completely duty only kind of captain. He did not take the time to get to know his subordinates, but he seemed to not treat any of them indifferently. The things he knew about Midori was what his son and grandson told him, or the other Soul Reapers working undercover like Midori. It was a job that Midori tried to do on her own, but it seemed that having others in the works, helped the 6th division gather more information on the other divisions in the 13 Court Guard Squad.

*****  
Midori walked toward the Institute. She would get there on time now after turning in her paperwork and talking a little with Captain Kuchiki. She noticed Sosuke Aizen was just turning the corner from the Institute, he was with his captain, Shinji Hirako. Shinji was an average size man with a slender body. He had long blond hair that was cropped off above his eyebrows and brown eyes. His mouth was a little wider than most Soul Reapers in the Soul Society, but it only helped elevate his personality.  
Shinji noticed her immediately, “Well, hello there.” She bowed to him, and Aizen noticed her. He eyed her the whole time Shinji occupied her time.  
“Captain Hirako, it is nice to meet you, today. How are you doing?”   
“It is a wonderful day, isn’t it? I heard from Kisuke that I had to come back because his examination girl was not here yet, are you her?”   
“Oh, yes that’s me. The examination girl. I am sorry for being late. I had to turn in some important documents to Captain Kuchiki. If you would please follow me, we can continue with the examination.” She waited for his reply. When he did not object, she started toward the Institute. She could feel Aizen’s eyes on her back.  
She opened the door and saw Kisuke was over at his desk. Shinji caught his attention as he strode over to him.   
“Kisuke, I have found your lovely examination girl. She said she would get right to examining me.”   
Midori had him take the normal position on the floor behind Kisuke’s desk. She pulled her medical device from her uniform. It whirled up and then a blue light began to scan Shinji. It caught the attention of Aizen. He was intrigued by how she came to have this kind of device and if she could even read it. It seemed that Shinji read his mind because he started right away with the questions about the medical device.   
“Where did you get that?” Shinji inquired.   
“It was a gift from Captain Unohana.”   
Midori was quiet for a few moments while she looked at the medical device waiting for it to finish its scan, so Aizen spoke, “Do you even know how to read it?”   
Kisuke saw how intense Aizen was staring at Midori. He was completely ignoring her device. Kisuke was not a fan at how he was looking at her. He knew that Aizen was up to something, but he knew that he would not be able to do anything about it, right now.   
He kept his eye on him as Midori answered Aizen’s question, “I would have to say I am pretty skilled in it.” She left it at that.   
After the scan, three beeps indicated it was over. She took it over to Kisuke’s desk where Shinji’s file was laying. While she read the device, Kisuke made the appropriate measurements. Aizen was still looking at Midori.   
“It seems Captain Hirako that you need to change your diet. You cholesterol is high, and it seems like you have been suffering from fatigue.” He looked at her.   
“That machine is amazing to be able to tell you all of that. What would you recommend?”   
“I would say you need more fiber and vegetables and to rest as much as possible. I would also suggest that you limit your intake of alcohol if that is an issue. If you continue like you are, you may produce a fever that would result in a bad cold.”   
Midori returned to Kisuke with Shinji’s folder. She listened to Kisuke when he told her Shinji’s measurements. She recorded them. Aizen watched her closely as she continued to write down the measurements of his captain. He memorized her handwriting perfectly.   
“Now, I guess it is your turn Lieutenant Aizen.” She smiled at him.   
Kisuke was surprised that she wanted to examine him since she had told him in the past to stay away from Aizen. He looked at her but could not see any reasons to protest against her request. Aizen obliged her and took over the spot where Shinji was standing. Shinji took Kisuke aside toward the bookshelves next to the right hand wall. Midori used the device to scan Aizen. He stared at her intensely.   
“It seems a little out of character for you to be here. Aren’t you a part of the 6th division? Are they not missing you being there?” She looked up smiling like nothing he said bothered her.   
“You are very observant, Lieutenant Aizen. I am from the 6th division, but I was sent here to learn about the Institute and help Captain Urahara out with examinations. If you would, please be still or the machine will not work properly?”   
He stood completely still as she finished his scan. She could feel his eyes burning a hole through her. The machine beeped three times which caused him to jump a little and lose his concentration from staring at her. Midori walked over to Kisuke’s desk and looked for his file, it was under Shinji’s. It seemed that Kisuke had pulled them out earlier. She began to read the device when Aizen came up from behind her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck which made her feel disgusting.   
“What does it say?”   
He looked at her device, and Midori noticed it. An illusion was covering the screen. It distorted the screen in a way that caused large dark lines to show at the top and bottom of it. She figured it was him. There were rumors that his Zanpakuto was something that caused hypnosis and illusions, and this illusion was not like the one that Kisuke placed on his desk before. She just wrote down what it said like she didn’t notice. She wanted to make sure to now cause Aizen any alarm.   
“You seem to be healthy, Lieutenant Aizen.”   
He got closer to her ear keeping his eye on Kisuke, “I felt your spiritual pressure the night that I came to see Captain Urahara. It’s the same as now. You really should learn how to control it better. A 3rd seat like you might get into trouble for knowing too much.” She turned fast and pushed him back. She glared at him.   
“I think you should keep your distance, Sosuke Aizen.”   
Kisuke saw from the corner of his eye that Midori was in a defensive stance, and he walked with Shinji back to them.   
When they arrived, Shinji thanked them, and left with Aizen. Midori saw Aizen’s glasses flash at her as he left. A sense of anxiety rushed over her. Her stomach dropped, and a sense of nausea came over her. As soon as they disappeared, Kisuke reached out and cupped her face. He was worried about her, and it did not help that he could see the apprehension on her face.  
“What happened? I saw you being defensive. What did he do to you?”   
“He knows I was here that night when you both were arguing. He told me I would get into trouble if I knew too much, and his breath was so gross.”   
She rubbed her neck red, trying to get the feeling of his hot breath off of her. Kisuke grabbed her hand and took a wet cloth from the box on his desk and cleaned her shoulder and neck. He threw it away and came back to comfort her by rubbing her back. Soon, everyone that normally came to work started showing up. Midori grabbed her device and walked to the back of the room to look at it again. She knew that she had seen something before the illusion appeared on it, and she wanted to confirm it. Kisuke walked back to her.   
“Midori, what is wrong?”   
He couldn’t see what the device showed yet, but she could. There was something inside of Aizen. It was only barely visible, but she could see a hazy mass that was lodge near his rib cage.   
“He was trying to hide something. I saw it when he walked over to me. The machine changed. I think he did something to it.” She showed it to Kisuke, but the illusion was still visible in his eyes.   
“Midori, I don’t see anything.”   
She didn’t know why she wasn’t affected by this, but she could see it. Confused as to why Kisuke had issues seeing it, she did not press the issue with him. She placed it out of the way from everyone and went about her work. Kisuke watched her walk back to work but wondered what she was seeing on the device that he could not. He scratched his head and went back to his work, placing his thoughts in the back of his mind.   
She went to work sorting things from a box in the back onto the shelves, and her mind wondered to the blueprint. She had seen it time and time again on the back table after hours. Her mind retraced everything that she created on the fake. She was walking back out into the main area when it hit her as to what she had been looking at, and what Kisuke had made.   
“It was an energy source to turn Hollows into Soul Reapers,” she believed.  
She dropped the file she had in her hand on the floor. Papers flew in all directions. She hurried to grab them so no one would notice, but a few research members noticed. They hurried over and helped her retrieve them. She felt utterly embarrassed.   
“Thank you.” She bowed to them as they went back to work.   
It was a few moments later that Kisuke came up behind her as she went to get another box from the back. They were alone.   
“Are you still shaken from this morning?”   
He had noticed her fumble with the papers from earlier, and in that instant, his words surprised her so much that she slipped on one metal box and fell forward hitting her head hard on another box. She held her head. It was cut, but there was no blood. She rubbed it, trying to make the pain go away.   
“I’ve just got a lot on my mind. Can I talk to you about it later when no one is here?”   
“Today is not a good day. Can we do it another day or right now, perhaps?”   
“I need to do it when no one is here, and it has to be today, please.” Her pleas caught him. He was curious about what she wanted to talk about, but he realized that it was something new for her to ask to see him. He placed a relaxed smile on his face.   
“Ok, after work. I will move what I have to do till later.”   
“Thank you.”   
She grabbed the box and began to leave. Kisuke took the opportunity while no one was around and placed his arm around her and kissed the back of her head.   
“Please, do not feel ill toward me. I have wanted to do that all day. You are more beautiful today than you were yesterday.” She giggled by his flattery and went back to work.   
When everyone left for the day, Kisuke was irritated by something He tussled his hair all over, making it even messier than before.   
“He took it. He took the fake, already.”   
Midori came from the back to him, “What?”   
“Aizen took the bait.”   
“That was fast. Do you think it was when he came over to me at the desk?”   
“I would bet so.”   
Midori walked over to him and fixed his hair the best she could. She patted down the curled ends which caused Kisuke to pull her on his lap, straddling him. She smiled teasingly at him.   
“Kisuke, do you want to be ‘my captain’?”   
He perked up with the sound of her calling him her captain. It sent sparks through him. He was fascinated by having a relationship with her as his subordinate.   
“Is that my nickname or are you trying to be sexy?”   
She leaned into him to place her mouth at his ear, which caused her to grind herself into his groin. A tingling sensation covered his entire body at their touch. He moaned in pleasure.   
She whispered in his ear, “My captain, I need you to relax.”   
Her breath in his ear made him excited. He could not take her teasing him like this. She was pushing him over the edge. He grabbed her around the waist and pushed her down into him. She was surprised by his suddenly movement.   
“Midori, you are driving me crazy. Unless you want me to attack you, you need to stop from grinding yourself into me.”   
Midori noticed what she was doing and went to get up from his lap, but he held her there. A blush appeared on her face. She did not mean to tease him in this way. She was too inexperienced to understand what he was going through. She liked him a lot, and she had a strong emotion to do things more than kiss and cuddle, but she tried to refrain from letting it show in her emotions or her actions.   
“No one said that you had to get up.”   
He pulled her into a kiss. It did not last long. The thoughts of what she wanted to talk to him about earlier entered her mind and pushed her to say something to him about it. She wanted to guarantee that the things about the Hogyoku that she surmised was correct and that she understood where he was going with such an experiment.   
“That’s right,” she got up from him without much restraint and stood there with her hands on her hips, “I need you to explain something to me.”   
“Yes.” He was still reeling in pleasure that he did not notice that she was being serious.   
“When were you going to tell me?”   
“Tell you what, my sweet girl?”   
She grabbed his face to look at her. He finally saw the serious look on her face. It caused his mood to change. He thought she wanted to enjoy time with him after work, but it seemed that she really did have something serious to talk about. He calmed himself and gave her all of his attention.   
“I need to know when you were going to tell me about the Hogyoku and your desire to turn Hollows into Soul Reapers.”   
He was surprised, but it did not really shock him much that she already knew. He knew that with her knowledge that she would get it, eventually. He was fascinated with her, after all. Her vast knowledge of things caused him to be more attracted to her the more he saw her demonstrate her talents to others, especially himself. He yearned for that knowledge more than anyone. He stayed quiet. He could tell she was not done.   
“Do you know that what you are doing is against the laws of the Soul Society? That it is dangerous. That you are digging a hole for yourself, and you are going to drag me into it with you.”   
The blood was rising to her face, but Kisuke rose from his desk and wrapped her in a hug, “I will never let this drag you under. If I get caught, I get caught. Midori think about it, if we could change Hollows into Soul Reapers then there would be no need to fight them, and we could have an endless means to protect the Soul Society and the World of the Living.”   
She loved the fact that he was happy about his invention. She was happy he knew the consequences of his actions, but what about her actions? She could easily make it become a reality, but could she risk herself? Could she give him the part he needed? She felt a beckoning tug at her not to tell him, so she knew she couldn’t. He would have to come to that conclusion on his own.  
“Would I really be that stupid to break the sacred rule of the Soul Society for someone I love?” she interrogated herself.   
He cupped her face and looked in her eyes. Her mind knew everything about the Hogyoku. It was normal for her. This was how she got high marks in her classes. This was why she was almost top of her class. It was like a light flipped on and off that told her the answers. It was like she had lived a hundred lifetimes and had the answers to everything at her fingertips. She finally focused her eyes to look at him. He was concerned about her. It was the first time she had shown a deep concern for something. A deep concern for him.  
“What is on your mind?” She couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t give him what he wanted because it would mean she would lose him. If he continued to work on the Hogyoku, it would mean that Aizen would get his hands on something that could not only destroy their relationship but destroy the Soul Society. Her sense of justice just could not give him what he wanted, even if it meant putting their relationship on the back burner.   
She pleaded with him, “I want you to stop your work on the Hogyoku.”   
He pulled away from her. She could see that he was torn between his work and her. He was conflicted by the possibility that what Midori knew would help him complete his experiment but drive a wedge between them if he pushed her for the answer. He could see her eyes were welling up with tears. He wanted to know why. He wanted her to explain.   
“Why? Tell me why you want me to stop, and I will give it some thought.”   
She choked back her tears to tell him, “It will destroy us, Kisuke. It will separate us, and it will hurt you. That device will make our lives miserable, and if Aizen found it, he would kill us all with it. That device can do more than just turn Hollows into Soul Reapers. It can do that exact opposite. Please just drop it.”   
“The opposite? Midori what are you not telling me? Do you know more about it than I do?”   
She couldn’t say anymore. She had already found the resolve to keep it all to herself. He meant the world to her, but she could not give him what he wanted. She could not tell him that Soul Reapers would be turned into Hollows with the Hogyoku. She just couldn’t, so she turned to leave.   
“I will not tell you. No matter how many times you ask. I will not put your life in danger.”   
She walked away and left Kisuke standing there. He didn’t know what he needed to do. He wanted to finish it. Aizen had already taken the fake. He would figure it out before him, but he wanted to make Midori happy. He took the blueprint and all of his notes on the Hogyoku and stored them away in the back room. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he saw today. Even though it was important to him, he would sacrifice his work for her. He couldn’t deny her after he saw the miserable look on her face.   
Coming from the back, he heard something beeping. He looked around and noticed that Midori had left her medical device on the back table. He walked up to it and realized that it still had Aizen’s internal scan on it. He spotted what Midori had told him early. It was clearer. The device showed a large black mass of matter inside of his body just near his ribs. He was curious. He raised his eyebrow.   
“What is this inside of you, Sosuke Aizen?” he took her device and placed it in his desk, “I’ll return it to her after I finish with it.”   
Kisuke locked the Institute and went off to find his Lieutenant Hiyori. He found her waiting on him outside of the back of the 2nd division barracks. She seemed irritated at his late arrival.   
“It’s about time. Did you finish your business with Midori?”   
“She is upset, but she’ll be fine.”   
They walked to a place that was set off from the Seireitei. It was located near the 2nd division. It was hidden out of the way deep into the forest. The entrance to where they were going was craved out of the base of a large mountain. Lieutenant Hiyori watched as he placed a cloak around both of them. It was a cloak he used to conceal all of one’s spiritual pressure. He did not want anyone knowing that they were going into this place.   
“This is the Nest of Maggots, and we need to retrieve someone of importance here.”   
Kisuke told her about the Nest of Maggots. It was a place where those the Soul Society deemed dangerous to the world was placed. They may not have committed a crime, but they were not trustworthy. He walked past a large clearing where other inmates were allowed to get some air and relax. They ignored them as they walked by. The entered the other side of the open field and down large stone steps until they found a guy with a black strip of paint on his face over his eyes and two golden pieces coming from his ears. He was sitting on a bench in a locked jail cell. He looked up at them when they came into view.   
“Mayuri Kurotsuchi.” The guy behind the bars smiled at him.

*****  
The next week, Midori hadn’t entered the Institute once. She had been working with Captain Unohana. She wanted a reprieved from there for a while. She learned from Captain Unohana about Kaido. She wanted to learn all she could in order to help her fulfill her duties as a member of the 6th division. Captain Unohana really enjoyed her time with Midori. From time to time, she would ask about Midori’s uncle. Midori would pick with her about liking him, which received her a very shy Captain Unohana. They would giggle about it.   
On the 8th day of being away from the Institute, Midori decided to go back. She entered the building and found a new face. He had white paint all over his body with a black strip of paint across his eyes. He noticed her, immediately. She walked over to him.   
“Hello. I am Midori Kyoraku. You are new here, aren’t you?” She had a warm welcoming smile on her face.   
He looked at her and tilted his head, “I am Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Do you work here, too?”   
“I come by from time to time.”   
Midori could feel something off about him. He was not like everyone else here. He had something hidden in his spiritual pressure, or perhaps, it was just hidden by the look on his face. It held not real emotion, but there was a sense of mischief behind his face. Kisuke came to notice Midori and ran up to her.   
“It’s about time you come back. Where have you been?”   
She kind of didn’t know what to tell him, so she just simply replied, “I have been cooling down, can I talk to you?” He shook his head. They left Mayuri to get back to his work.   
They walked to the back out of everyone’s ear shot. He grabbed Midori placing her gently against an empty wall. He lifted her legs to place them around him and began kissing her. He kissed from her lips to her neck and then back up. He was hungry for her and yearned to be able to touch her. He was a little energetic from normal.   
Through their kisses, he explained his anxiousness, “I have missed you so much. I thought you had disappeared,” she kissed him back, “Midori, I want you. Do you want me?” She shook her head in agreement. How could she deny him when she had this feeling in her for a while now.   
He began to pull at her uniform to loosen it from her breast when Mayuri happened on them. Kisuke dropped Midori’s legs that let her fall easily to stand beside of him. They all stood there staring at each other, embarrassed. Mayuri grabbed a few instruments.  
“Captain, I think that it would be best to not expose yourself where others can see you.” He walked away leaving Kisuke and Midori still embarrassed.   
Midori straightened her uniform and stood straight. She wanted to tell him the conclusion of her thoughts for being away as long as she was. She had felt horrible about leaving their last conversation the way that she did. While she did not want to put him in danger, she felt that she had to give into him. He loved working on his experiments, and she could not take that joy from him.   
“I wanted to tell you I have been thinking over the past week. I was wrong to fuss at you about your invention. I think it is amazing that you see the good in your own experiment, but I still warn against it. I also want to say that I will help you with it the best that I can.”   
Her face showed a blush. He was surprised at her words but was happy. He picked her put and swung her around in the air and back into his arms. Midori soon felt the same giddiness that she receive from him earlier. She was happy that he was happy and that was all she needed.   
“Thank you, Midori. I promise, I will be careful.”   
“Okay well, that is all I wanted to say. I will be heading back out, now.” She went to walk away, but he grabbed her. He began kissing her, again. Her scent was driving him crazy, and the fact that he could see her again caused him to want to enact all of his urges onto her.   
“Please stay. I really have missed you.”   
“It seems that every inch of you has missed me.” She made note of his groin. It was bulging out of his pants, which caused her to be completely embarrassed. She tried to hide her face from him by looking away.  
She pulled from him and started out of the back room, “We will have to wait till there is no one here, if you want to do that.”   
She walked out of the back and went over to some of the research members to help them. Mayuri kept staring at her from time to time. She was different. He was interested in why she would be here and what his captain saw in her.   
“What is so special about her that the captain would do that?” what he just witnessed in the back filled his mind.  
He went back to work. It seemed that even after everyone left for the day that Mayuri stayed. They would not get any alone time, today.   
She walked to Kisuke, “Do you know where my medical device is? I realized I left it here last time when I was with Captain Unohana.”   
Kisuke walked with her to his desk and pulled it out, “I found it where you left it, and I saw what you said was on it. We need to keep an eye on him.”   
“I agree. I guess, I will see you, tomorrow. Thank you.” She kissed his cheek when Mayuri was not looking at them. He waved her goodbye.   
“Bye Mayuri. It was nice to meet you. I will see you, tomorrow.” He looked up at her nodding his head.

*****  
Midori entered her barracks and was greeted by Captain Kuichiki, “Midori, I want you to accompany a squad to South Rukon district and take care of some Hollows. I don’t want you to fight, but you need to make sure to be ready to heal if anyone gets hurt.”  
Her eyes widen, she bowed to her Captain and went and grabbed her things. She was excited and nervous about going out and taking care of some Hollows. It was a promise from Captain Kuchiki that he would not place her on any missions unless it necessary, so apparently this mission was necessary for her to be on it. She met a group of squad members including the 4th and 5th seat of the division. They looked at Midori and welcomed her.   
“It’s about time we get to see you in action, Midori,” The 5th seat spoke to her. He was an average guy with green spiky hair and hazel eyes. He had a very visible scar across his left jawline. The other members of the squad were excited, too. They all had heard about Midori’s fighting in the academy and wanted to see it for themselves.   
“I will do what I can.”   
It didn’t matter if her Captain wanted her to fight or not, if her squad was in trouble, she had to help them. She had to. It was her sense of justice that caused her to place herself in danger to help others around her, no matter the cost. She needed to ensure, that since she was the higher seated division member, everyone would make it back to the division safe and sound.  
They made it to the South Rukon’s farthest district. There was a deep forest, and they could feel a strong spiritual pressure coming from the far end. She kept her hand on her hilt just in case she had to fight. Many of the squad members all fanned out while she accompanied the 4th and 5th seat.   
“You know the Captain ordered me to only heal while we are out here, right?”   
“We know. We just wanted to get everyone else pumped and excited for the mission. We know why you are in our division Midori, so leave it to us.”  
Midori berated herself, “How did I become a medic? If this was what I was supposed to be, why didn’t I belong to Captain Unohana’s division?”   
She kept her eyes sharp and her senses alerted. She heard fighting on her left and her right. Suddenly, a huge Hollow appeared before her. It was bigger than any of the ones she had seen at the academy. Its large body towered over her and the others. It had a large deep unhealed scar across its stomach, and the mask it work was cracked down one side. A gas pushed out of the crack and entered into the forest. She could feel the icy tingling in her body as her body wanted to freeze. The Hollow swung its large bulbous arms at them. She breathed in and jumped out of its way. She grabbed her Zanpakuto from her sheath and held it out without releasing her shikai.   
“No worries, 3rd seat Midori, we got this.” They made quick work with the Hollow. Slicing it across its body caused it to fall down onto the ground.   
Midori didn’t feel right about this. She could still feel its spiritual pressure. The Hollow, though cut in half, was not disappearing. She yelled to her 4th seat, a tiny girl who was the a little shorter than Midori with black hair and glasses. She pushed her out of the way as the Hollow rose from its position. The Hollow had created four of itself and had lunged at them. Midori’s speed saved her 4th seat, but a tentacle pierced her left side.   
She yelled in pain and held her side, but kept her Zanpakuto steady, “You stay where you are, Seigi.”   
Her mind swam in circles so much that her vision blurred. The Hollow was emitting something from its tentacles, it was poison. She fell to the ground on her knees. Her 4th and 5th seat officers were fighting the other copies of the Hollow.   
She could hear a voice, it was the Hollow, “Little girl, go home and don’t meddle!”   
It kicked her and sent her flying into a tree. The tree caught her, but the bark where she landed flaked off onto the ground. She coughed harshly as she tried to force air out her lungs. She fell to the ground griping her side.   
“I have to help them,” she told herself.   
Blindly, Midori got up from the ground. Her sense of determination to end this fight caused an orange glow to envelop her body. She clasped her Zanpakuto in hand and began to charge the Hollow. It was like she was not controlling her own body. She flashed stepped next to the Hollow’s face and with her katana sliced it. She flashed stepped to each of the other copies of the Hollow and dealt them a final blow. She dropped down to the ground with only a small amount of energy left to help her stand. The orange glow faded from around her. As her team ran to her praising her fighting spirit, she fell to the ground unconscious with her Zanpakuto still gripped in her hand.

*****  
Kisuke was worried when Midori did not enter the Institute like she said she would two days ago. He took a moment to visit her barracks, and Lieutenant Sojun explained that she was sent out on a mission. Kisuke was worried. Since making seat and becoming part of the 6th division, Midori had not been out on a mission. He knew that she was capable, or they would have not placed her as a 3rd seat, but it did not stop him from worrying about her well-being. He walked back to the Institute concerned about her.   
When he walked in, Mayuri questioned him about Midori, “Captain, Midori hasn’t been back like she said. Where could she be?”   
“She was sent on a mission.”   
“You are worried about her, right?”   
“Well yeah, but she will be fine.”  
Kisuke went back to work on his experiments. His mind would not let him concentrate until he knew where she was and if she was in danger or if she was safe. He searched the Soul Society to see if he could find any trace of her spiritual pressure. He found it, but it was faint. He could sense it was tainted by something by how sporadic it was, and how it flickered in and out.   
He took off out of the Institute and followed it. He raced through the southern gate and into the South Rukon districts. The faster he ran, the more he knew something was wrong with her. When he reached her squad, they were trying to administer some kind of antidote to her.   
“What happened to her,” Kisuke worried came to kneel beside her?   
“She got hit by a Hollow who was using poison. We have tried to administer it to her for the past two days, but her fever will not come down, and we are too afraid to move her.”   
Kisuke wondered what he could do. He then remembered the spring that he had made and placed in Yoruichi’s underground training ground. He knew that he had to take her there or she would never recover from her wounds.   
“I will take care of her. See yourselves back to your captain and let him know that I will heal her and return her.”   
They all got to their feet and raced off toward their barracks. Kisuke pushed hair from Midori’s face, placing it behind her ear. He could see her struggle with her breathing. He picked her up, making sure to place her Zanpakuto quickly in its sheath, and rushed off toward the springs.   
The underground training grounds that Yoruichi had hidden under the 2nd division was like a desert. It had large mountains and rocks. There was a small spring that sat near a hut on the east side of the training grounds. It was a special place where Yoruichi would come to train alone. The only people to know about it was Kisuke and Yoruichi.  
When Kisuke got to the training grounds, no one was there. He quickly got Midori to the springs and placed her in it. He got in after her and held her more firmly in it. He was worried even more now about her than he was earlier. He gripped her body tightly against his, hoping that she would recover quickly. He hated seeing her face in so much pain.  
Footsteps started getting closer to where they were and Yoruichi appeared,” Kisuke, what is she doing here?” Yoruichi could see the pained expression on Midori’s face, “You know you could have taken her to Captain Unohana, and she would have healed her.”   
Kisuke rolled his eyes at Yoruichi’s assumptions, “No, Midori keeps their antidotes on her at all times. They administered them to her for two days and nothing worked. I could only think about bringing her here because I knew the springs would heal her.”   
Yoruichi stared at how Kisuke was holding Midori. It did not please her, but she gave into him. She knew that arguing with him right now would only cause him to become even more separated from her. He had been like that since he started taking an interest in Midori. It did not help either that he was now a captain of the 12th division, but she felt that it was his affections for Midori that caused him to keep his distance from her.   
“Well, you made this spring, I guess it is okay. I know you’ve talked about a girl you liked. I just didn’t think she was this young.”  
Yoruichi undressed. She slyly got into the water, eyeing Midori as she did. She wanted to show Kisuke something else to look at other than the girl in his arms, but it backfired on her.   
“What are you doing? She will get the wrong idea if she wakes up and sees you naked in here with us.”   
Yoruichi gave him a surprised look. It wasn’t like Kisuke to be so demanding to her. She was not at all impressed at how protective he was with this girl. She gave him a snide look.  
“Why are we being so picky all of a sudden? You’ve never cared before.” she got close to Kisuke, and Midori stirred in his arms.   
“I think you need to leave, Yoruichi.” Kisuke had a serious face on.   
“You really are serious about her. Jeez, it was only a joke,” she got out of the spring and dressed herself, “I will leave you two alone, but just so you can remember, if she didn’t have the restraints of those clothes, she would heal faster. Also, don’t get perverted with her while she is knocked out like that. I mean she looks old enough to be your daughter, after all.”  
Yoruichi didn’t like the fact that Kisuke was that worried about another woman. She thought that he would stay single his whole life, and she could continue to torture him like she used to. She gave them a disgusted but did not catch Kisuke’s attention. He was too worried about Midori.   
“Besides, who would like a weirdo like him?” she thought as she walked away from them.  
Kisuke started undressing Midori under the water. He pulled her uniform off with some difficulty because her clothes were soaked. He laid them on a rock right on the outside of the springs. He held her in place by his arms that was when he felt the cut on her side. It almost covered the whole left side of her body. He gently placed his hand over as much of the scar on her side he could. A green glow came from his hand as he tried to use Kaido to heal her. When he stopped, he noticed that the scar was getting smaller. He placed his head against the side of hers and closed his eyes.   
“Please be alright. Midori please,” Kisuke prayed.   
They stayed in the water for a while after that. It took a longer time for the spring to do its job considering the wound had been days old and the antidote had gotten deeper into her system.   
When Midori started breath regular, Kisuke leaned her against the side of the spring, quickly got out, and pulled her from the water. He paused when he noticed that the mark was almost gone. The spring was not able to completely take the scar away, but it was a fraction of what it was.  
He picked Midori up, grabbed her clothes, and went inside the hut that was outside the spring. He placed her on a futon on the ground and built a fire before placing both of their clothes near it to dry. He got in behind Midori, pulled her over to him, and covered them both up near the fire with a blanket that he found in the corner of the hut. He watched the fire flicker while she recovered.  
Midori opened her eyes and saw the fire flicker. She thought she was outside, but as her vision came back, she noticed that they were inside of a hut of some kind. She looked around and saw none of her squad around. She noticed two sets of uniforms and a captain’s jacket being dried by the fire. She looked across her shoulder and saw Kisuke was holding her, and they both were naked, except for her panties. She blushed and her face got hot. She could hear his heartbeat and his soft snores. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to wake him, but she wanted to dress herself.   
“Had he seen me naked?” she asked herself. It caused her to squirm even more at the thought.   
Her face began to burn more, and a voice came to her ear as her movement woke up Kisuke, “You move a lot, my sweet girl.”   
Midori froze. She did not know what to say. She stayed silent. Kisuke could feel her heartbeat was strong and her breathing had returned to normal. His mind began to cycle through naughty thoughts because he remembered that Midori was naked beside of him. He kissed her ear and licked the outside of it. It caused Midori’s whole body to tingle. She turned her head to face him, and he enveloped her lips with his. She kissed him back.   
“This could lead to something. I hope it doesn’t. I don’t think I am ready for that,” Midori thought to herself.   
“Midori, I am so glad you are okay. I was so worried about you when I heard they sent you on a mission.”   
She thought back to what had happened. She had been struck by a Hollow right after saving her 4th seated officer. She was careless.   
“I need more training. I failed.”   
“I wouldn’t say that. Your squad was all worried about you, and it seems you had saved them. They were grateful to you for protecting them. Just promise me you won’t do that again.”   
Midori couldn’t promise him that. It was her duty as a Soul Reaper to fight against the Hollows. She just needed more training.   
“I can’t promise you that,” she got up on her knees to look at him not remembering that she was partially naked, “I have a duty to the Soul Society to protect it and the World of the Living as a Soul Reaper. I just need to get better at fighting in order to protect not only those around me but myself as well.”   
Kisuke looked at her. He memorized every curve of her body. She was beautiful in the glow of the fire as she protested to him. He reached for her and pulled her into him, kissing her in a hungry manner. He wanted her. He wanted to feel her body against his. He pulled her hips over his, and she hovered over him, exposing her breasts. Midori realized it immediately and covered herself. She felt his groin push into her panties and felt embarrassed. He made himself sit up and placed her in a hug. She relaxed a little seeing how he couldn’t stare at her with his ravenous expression. She knew that he wanted her. She wanted him too, but at this moment, she couldn’t think of anything else, but how embarrassed she was at exposing her breasts to him.   
Kisuke pulled her hair to one side and began kissing her neck. He wanted her so bad. Her scent was pushing him over the edge, and the fact they were almost naked and within each other’s arms made him want her even more.   
He whispered in her ear, “We can wait if you want, but I want you more than you will ever know. I realize you just recovered, and I can also see the embarrassment on your face.” Midori was relieved.   
She kissed him on the cheek, “Thank you for understanding, Kisuke.”   
He let her go, and she laid back down on the futon. He was surprised that she didn’t run to her uniform to clothe herself, but he was happy. He snuggled next to her, laying his arm around her. He wanted her even more now. He could not control her eagerness inside of him to touch her and make her his, but he pushed it deep inside of him just for her. He did not want to make her do anything that would make her feel uncomfortable in any way or that would make her hate him. He was happy with his resolve.   
“I will make some alone time for us later, if that is what you want?”   
Midori nodded her head in agreement. She wanted to be with him now, but her nerves would not let her continue with him at this moment. She would need to get up the courage to be with him. He would be her first, and in a way, she wanted to make sure that it was something she wanted with him. They fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

*****  
Kisuke took Midori back to her barracks the next day.   
“Get some rest,” he told her. She agreed, and he left for the Institute. Midori walked into Captain Kuchiki’s office.   
He looked up from his papers, “It seems Captain Urahara did not lie in returning you. How are you feeling, Midori?”   
“I feel wonderful, Captain. I have a request if I may?”   
“Of course, what is it?”   
“I want to start training. I felt a little overwhelmed out there and put myself in danger. Would you allow me to train?”   
Captain Kuchiki did not hesitate in his reply. He had already thought about this outcome before she even asked, “Yes, the officers told me about how you took on four Hollows at one time while your body was fighting the poison. I think it would be best for you to have some training. You can start tomorrow. Take as long as you need. I think your duties for now should be placed on hold for a while. I also think you are getting too close to Captain Urahara.”   
Midori was surprised at his words. It made her feel horrible. The thing she asked for was driving a wedge between her and Kisuke. This was something she did not want.   
She stood at attention, “Yes sir, Captain Kuchiki.” He waved her off.  
She walked to her room. She wanted to get into some new clothes. She pulled a new uniform from her dressing chest and dressed in front of a mirror. She noticed a small scar where the large gash was on her left side from three days ago.   
“Wow, whatever Kisuke did is amazing.” She clothed herself in her whites and laid down on her futon to rest.

*****  
Over the next six months, Midori did not see Kisuke. She was told to stay away from the Institute, so she followed orders. Kisuke was wrapped up in his work on the Hogyoku and other experiments that he thought she needed time to rest. He did hear from rumors that Midori was training with some people at the 8th division barracks. Shunsui was making Midori use a wooden sword, so that she could concentrate on her speed and focus on what was moving around her. She did not touch her Zanpakuto the whole six months. The training caused Midori’s reflexes to increase. She understood why it was important to evaluate her surrounds. She thanked her uncle and the members of his squad for training her and was supposed to return to her barracks to report back in, but she missed Kisuke. She snuck off toward the Institute.  
It was late in the evening when she opened the door to the Institute. She saw Mayuri and Kisuke working on figuring out the Hogyoku. She silently closed the door and snuck over to them. She placed her hands over Kisuke’s eyes which shocked and surprised him.   
“Guess who?”   
A grin played across Kisuke’s face, “My sweet girl.”   
He twisted around and threw her into a hug. Mayuri rolled his eyes and excused himself into the back, leaving them alone.   
“Why are you here? I thought you were training.”   
“I finished today. I wanted to see you. I missed you.”   
He pushed himself closer to her and placed his hand on the back of her head pulling her into a kiss and causing the purple ribbon she had in her hair during practice to fall out and hit the floor. He licked her bottom lip, and she allowed for his tongue to swirl around hers. The heat from their kiss caused both of their minds to fill with ecstasy. It had been forever since they felt this.   
“Do you want to fool around, my captain,” Midori whispered seductively into his ear.   
It ignited a spark in him. He picked her up and sat her on top the table. He placed himself between her thighs and kissed her passionately. Mayuri walked in from the back and noticed them. He stood there for a few moments and watched how Midori reacted so innocently to everything Kisuke did to her. As Kisuke went to undo the front of Midori’s uniform to slide his hand inside, Mayuri made himself known to the room. Midori’s face went red as she hopped down from the table.   
“Sorry.” She straightened her uniform.  
He walked back over to them and started working, again. He knew that he interrupted them, and he didn’t care.   
Midori placed her hand in Kisuke’s and pulled him to the door, “I have to go. I don’t want Captain Kuchiki to get upset because I came to see you.”   
This put Kisuke on alarm. He did not know that was a reason as to why she was away from the Institute, “Why would he?”   
“The reason he accepted my training was because he wanted me to stay away from here. He said that I was getting too involved with you.” Her words did not phase him.   
He had for so long wanted their relationship to be known to those in the Seireitei, “Does it matter if they know?”   
Midori did not want to protest against anyone knowing, but she felt it only right if she could tell her uncle first. “I really would like to tell uncle Shunsui first before we go completely public with it. You are the first guy I have had as a boyfriend. I just don’t want it to be a rumor he just happens to hear.”   
“I understand how concerned you are, Midori, but I want to be with you, and no one is going to stop that from happening.” He pulled her into a kiss. She giggled against his lips as he walked her outside.   
Mayuri noticed Midori’s ribbon that had fallen out of her hair. He picked it up and placed it against his nose, closing his eyes, “Hmm, lavender and honeysuckle. It suits her.”   
He placed it on the table for Kisuke when he returned. He had no problem with Midori but felt that she did disrupt Kisuke from his work. He went back to work trying to get her innocent face from his mind, it was hard, but eventually he gave up trying to drown it out.  
Midori stood outside the Institute with Kisuke. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “I think I am ready for us to be together.” A smiled played across his face.   
“I will make time for us alone. I will let you know when that is.” She was excited, but nervous about giving in to him.   
“Okay!” She hugged him and kissed his cheek and left to go back to the 6th division barracks. 

*****  
It had been two years since she graduated. She felt that every day was a blessing, especially if she got to spend it with Kisuke. She entered the barracks to a surprise. Byakuya was standing outside the door to her room. He had gotten older. He still had his hair pulled back with the same red ribbon, and now, he had a single kenseikan above his ear like his dad. She smiled at him when he looked her way. He ran to her and embraced her. He had gotten taller, too. She was now shorter than him.   
“Hey, Byakuya. How have you been?” He stood back and straightened himself.   
“I have been well. I hope you have been.”   
“Yes, I have been wonderful. Why have you come here, tonight?” She could see the nervousness on his face.   
“I wanted to see you.”   
“Oh, that is nice. I have been wondering about you, too, and how your studies have been going.”   
They sat down on the deck outside of her room. All evening, they talked about things. Midori never mentioned Kisuke except for work related things. Byakuya was happy that she was adjusting well to things. He would steal glances of her as they talked. Byakuya could feel his heart beating so fast that it could free itself from his chest at any time. She always did that to him, and it got worse every time he saw her.   
“Midori, I need to ask you something?” Midori was curious at his sudden outburst.   
She encouraged him to continue, “Okay, sure.”  
Byakuya stood up and faced her. He bent down in front of her and took her hands into his. She felt weird and thought that he didn’t need to do that because he was from the noble Kuchiki family. He stared up into her violet eyes.   
“Midori, I want the world for you, and I want to give you that world. Ever since we met, I have thought about no one but you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I want to make you the happiest woman in this world. Will you accept me as your husband even with the difference between us in age?”   
Midori’s heart skipped a beat. It was the first time someone had ever proposed something like this to her. She liked Byakuya but not in the same way that he liked her. She saw how sincere he was and that he waited there bent down on his knees for her reply.   
She placed a hand on his face, “Byakuya, I am overjoyed by your declaration of love for me, but unfortunately, someone else has taken my heart. I am sorry.”   
He stiffened from hearing this. He didn’t let it bother him, or at least he did not let it show.   
He stood on his feet, “Can he give you a life like I can? Has he promised you the world? If so, I can give you the moon and the stars. Midori, I only want you as my wife. Ever since you danced in the moonlight that night outside of the 8th division barracks, I was drawn to you. You are the perfect woman for me. Please, let me make you happy. I will give you everything, a life, a family, a future if that is what you want. I promise it all to you.”   
Midori could see how adult he was acting, but she could feel he was about to breakdown, and she let him. She reached for him and placed him in a hug. Tears fell down his face. He had failed at securing the only woman he has loved for the past two years.   
“Byakuya, you will find a woman one day who will give her heart to you, and she will be all you can think about. Thank you for loving me like you have.”   
She kissed his cheek, and he took it one step further. He kissed her lips, hoping it would change her mind. It felt beautiful to her, but it did not change her mind. She felt horrible.  
Midori stayed with him for a while until he collected himself. She walked him to the gate and returned to her room. She felt like she had just kicked that poor kid in the gut. His proposal was so genuine and real that she couldn’t do anything but shed a tear of pity for him or was it because if she hadn’t met Kisuke that she would have accepted him as her husband because in a way, Byakuya was a genuinely nice guy, and he was going to make a very special girl, a wonderful husband.   
She laid down on her futon and fell asleep awaiting Kisuke’s call for her to see him again. She thought about how it would be nice if Kisuke would one day propose to her like Byakuya did. Maybe he would give her the moon and stars like Byakuya promised her. Maybe she would be the happiest with Kisuke. She only wished that he could see the future that she saw for both of them. She hoped it would be what he wanted too.


	5. A Special Time for Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> There is explicit sexual content in the pages below. Viewer discretion is advised for anyone under the age of 17.  
> You have been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori came to the realization that the Aizen wanting the Hogyoku would destroy her happiness with Kisuke. She tries to warn him by telling him to stop his experimentations, but he is reluctant. She spends some time away from him in hopes of thinking through some stuff. She spends her time with the 4th division under Captain Unohana's guidance in Kaido. Midori eventually goes back to the Institute to give in to his need to continue his experiment. She leaves to be sent on a mission where she gets injured. Kisuke finds her poisoned and takes her to the healing springs under the 2nd division. When he returns her back to the 6th division, Captain Kuchiki allows her to go and train, but she is ordered to stay away from the Institute because she is getting too close to Kisuke Urahara. She trains with the 8th division in the meantime to increase her stamina and endurance. Her flash step becomes quicker. She goes off to see Kisuke before returning to the 6th division after her 6 month training. They make plans to spend some alone time together. After she returns to the 6th division she is greeted by Byakuya who proposes to her. Poor Byakuya, Midori let him down as easy as she could. Now that she has told Kisuke she wants to spend some alone time together, what will happen? 
> 
> And now.... Chapter Five: A Special Time for Firsts...

Things seemed to pass by so quickly. Midori was out at the pond behind the 6th division barracks practicing her sword dancing. She had her Zanpakuto in her right hand as she danced around the pond. The moon casted a beautiful spotlight on her body. The wind began to blow, and her hair danced in the wind with a melody playing in her mind. It was a melody that she remembered her mother hummed to her when she was little. It was also the melody that her mother would hum while she danced around outside in the moonlight.  
A shadow was standing beside of the large cherry blossom tree that sat beside of the pond. Their gray eyes watched Midori in secret because she was caught up in her movements. It was a sight to be seen by anyone who got to view it. She felt two eyes on her. It seemed like a very familiar moment for her. She remembered back when Byakuya first saw her dance, and how she caught him. He had been so embarrassed.   
An orange glow appeared around her, and there were two Midoris, again. The brown eyed Midori followed the violet eyed Midori around the pond. It had been so long since she used this technique that she wanted to show off for her audience. The shadow’s gray eyes were astounded by there being two Midoris. They leaned against the cherry blossom tree where the moonlight pushed past the branches to reveal messy pale blonde hair and a captain’s jacket. Midori finally saw that it was Kisuke this time not Byakuya who was watching her. She continued around the pond a few times making her eyes stay closed.  
Her double kept looking at Kisuke when she passed, and the fact that she acted on her own made Kisuke curious. He kept his eyes on the brown eyed Midori as they went around, and he did not even realize that his violet eyed Midori had snuck up behind the tree he was leaning against. She came up beside him letting her second self-continue to dance.   
“See anything you are interested in?”   
Kisuke stopped staring immediately now realizing that Midori was beside of him. He looked at her and then back to the brown eyed Midori to find that she had disappeared. He went back to looking at her and watched as an orange glow began to disappear around her.   
“Well?” He stared at her causing Midori to turn her head to the side.  
She reached out and touched his face, “It’s been a while, my captain.”   
He pulled her into him and kissed her. She returned his kiss. It had been weeks since she last saw him. They both had been so busy with things in the Institute, and she had been carrying out duties for Captain Kuchiki with the other divisions. She got to infiltrate the 2nd division and met Yoruichi, officially. She liked her but felt that Yoruichi was being distant from her for some reason she did not understand. There was something between them that stopped them from clicking, it really bothered Midori. She wanted to be Yoruichi’s friend. She had pondered about it for some time, but nothing ever came of it. She accepted it just as it was.   
She was able to visit the 7th division and met Captain Love Aikawa for the first time. She recognized his lieutenant as Lieutenant Kotsubaki. She thought Captain Aikawa was a very interesting person. She even went as far as touching his puffy hair. It embarrassed both Lieutenant Kotsubaki and Captain Aikawa. She just told them that ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ and they laughed at her.  
Kisuke was interested in what technique that Midori was producing as she danced, “I told you that you were fascinating, and it seems that you continue to fascinate me.”   
She looked up at him from his chest, “It seems that you are a curious fellow, Kisuke.”   
She reached up and grabbed his head so that his forehead rested on hers. She looked into his gray eyes. She wasn’t about to volunteer the information if he wasn’t going to ask. She wanted to tease his curiosity a little by staying quiet about it.   
Kisuke waited, but she never said anything, so he finally decided to ask her straight, “Are you going to tell me about your technique or not?”  
She took his question in a different direction, “Oh, you see I use my Zanpakuto to dance around the pond using a set of skills that allows for me to test my endurance and my stamina.”   
He heard her sarcasm from the moment she began to speak. He eagerly wanted to punish her for deflecting his question with her own musings. He was happy at her playfulness, but he also wanted to know about her technique. He reached down and placed his hands along her sides.   
She knew exactly what he was going to do, “You better not, Kisuke Urahara.”   
His face produced an incriminating smile as he went about tickling her. She tried her best to get out of the way of his hands, but there was no escape. She laughed so hard that tears began to appear on each side of her eyes.  
Above the pond area, Byakuya watched them in the moonlight. He was annoyed by how Kisuke could touch Midori like he wanted to. He loved to see Midori smile like that, and he wanted to be that close with her. He turned back into his father’s room and left them to their own devices, annoyed by how happy she was with him.   
“I could have made you that happy, you know. Damn you, Kisuke Urahara.”   
He threw a book across the room and exited from his father’s room into the barracks. Her smiling, playful face played in Byakuya’s mind and stayed there for some time.  
“You know exactly what I was asking you, Midori.”   
She gave him a mischievous look, “But it wouldn’t be fun if I just gave you what you wanted all the time.”   
She pulled from him and ran around the pond. He followed in pursuit, chasing her. He wanted to know what that was he saw, but more importantly, he wanted to have her in his arms, again. Midori laughed as she ran around the pond and didn’t see the large rock that protruded from the pond. She was aware of it during her dancing but being chased after caused her to completely forget. Kisuke was close to catching her when she tripped over it, and he fell down on top of her.   
She was still laughing, but she could feel a twinge in her ankle. Kisuke saw the small facial gesture that clued him in to her being hurt. He got up on his feet and reached down and picked her up.   
“You don’t have to do that, Kisuke. I can walk fine on my own.”   
He seemed to be happy about her being in his arms and assured her, “Just hush and let me tend to you.” His face was serious. She allowed him to get his way.   
He placed her against the tree, “Where does it hurt?” she turned her head not wanting to tell him, “Okay, well I will have to find out.”   
He went to grabbing her thighs, she blushed. He began using his hand to grab each side of her right thigh close to her sex. Her face went hot from the mere feeling of him being that close to her. He started down her legs pushing his fingers along her skin. It was sending sparks all over her body that lit her up in pleasure. He finally got to her right ankle and barely pushed, he knew that it was where she hurt herself, it had begun to swell.   
He looked back at her with a smile on his face, “Found it.”   
“I told you I am fine. I can heal it later.”   
He took off her sandal and her sock. He saw the puffiness of her skin. He pulled her leg up to his face and kissed her ankle. It just made Midori blush even more. He began performing Kaido. The green light that emitted from his hand began to swirl around her ankle until the pain and swelling were gone. He placed her sock and sandal back on and then pulled Midori below him. She was trapped beneath his warm body.  
He kissed her, again, and that kiss began exciting the senses inside both of them. She laid there and allowed him to explore her body. He began to kiss her neck, and then he touched her breast inside of her uniform. She moaned at his touch which caused him to smile.   
“Do you see what you caused me to do, Midori?”   
She reached up, giving herself room to sit in a seated position. She was apprehensive about what would happen if they went any farther, but she knew that she was ready. She wanted to be with him.   
He saw the embarrassment on her face, “You said before you were ready.”   
“I am, but not out in the open like this,” he chuckled a little which caused Midori to punch him in the arm playfully, “You love to tease me.”   
“Just like you love to tease me, my sweet girl.”   
She loved this nickname. She loved it only when he said and the way he said it. It was like she was a lightning rod and these words were the spark that drove her crazy. She pulled him into her and kissed his lips. She licked his bottom lip to make him open his mouth, and for the first time, she took charge and explored his mouth.  
All they could do was pant after their kiss. It was like it exhausted themselves to hold off their desires. Midori switched everything back to what Kisuke wanted her to tell him about her technique. She was trying to postpone their desires.   
She got close to his ear, “It’s called Soul Image.”   
“What?” Kisuke was confused. His mind was too occupied by Midori’s kiss and his desire to be with her. He tried his best to focus in on her words because she was giving him what he wanted to begin with.   
“That technique that I used while I was dancing is called the Soul Image.”   
He sat back on the ground completely and leaned forward like a child being taught a lesson. Midori saw the interest in his eyes, so she straightened herself up and began acting like a teacher teaching her student.   
“Soul Image is the ability to split one’s self into two completely corporal beings that show the same spiritual pressure.”   
“Midori, you have that last bit a little wrong about your Soul Image.”   
“Huh?” He saw the curiosity in her eyes.   
He was amused to learn that even Midori couldn’t sense a difference between their spiritual pressures, “Midori, the other you has a completely different spiritual pressure than you. It’s like an entirely different person all together.”   
“Really, I never noticed that. It’s really great to learn something new about my own techniques.”   
He leaned forward and placed his hand on her head. She looked up at him.   
“It is always good to learn new things about ourselves. I learn something new about myself every time I am with you,” he smiled, but a blush appeared on his face. It was like he didn’t want Midori knowing what she really did to him.   
Midori peered into his face, causing Kisuke to show his confusion on his face so plainly, “So, why have you come here tonight? Did you and Mayuri finish up what you have been working on?”  
He grabbed her hand, “Midori, I told you that I would let you know when I was going to have some time you and I could be alone. I wanted to come and give you the news in person. It was a good thing. I got to see a part of you that I only heard about and your dancing is so mesmerizing that I was so drawn into it.”   
Midori blushed. Kisuke saw the blush that he loved to see creep across her face. It made butterflies appear in his stomach like the first moment he met her. She was becoming a part of his world. He was afraid of her knowing him too well. He had always thought about how he was just not suited to be a captain, and how he just belonged in the 2nd division as the 3rd seat. He looked at Midori. He knew she wanted to know about him, and since she was obliged to tell him about her, he wanted to share things about him. He wanted her to know him.   
“Midori, would you like to know more about me?”   
She sat up on her feet straightening her stealth uniform. She stared at him intently. She looked like a cat perched waiting for its master to talk, “Yes, please tell me.”   
He began, “I have never really felt like I belonged as a captain at all in the Seireitei. I was the 3rd seat of the 2nd division for so long when I was forced into taking the test for captain, I only did it out of a courtesy for my friend, who was also the captain of the 2nd division.”   
Midori realized he was talking about Captain Shihoin. Kisuke paused his story to watch Midori. He could see her mind was working, but what was she thinking about.   
“Where has your mind gone, Midori,” he reached out to her?   
“You know Captain Shihoin personally, correct?”   
He was surprised that Midori knew her, “I have known her all my life. We used to train as kids before we entered the academy.”   
The smile on his face kind of annoyed Midori. She realized that this had to be the reason why Yoruichi would not accept her friendship. She didn’t like that Midori was close to Kisuke. She did not let it show on her face how upset she was. She placed a fake smile on her face to encourage him to continue, but it didn’t work.   
“Has she done something to my Midori?” He leaned close into Midori’s face.   
She kept his gaze, “No, she hasn’t.”   
“How did you meet her?” Midori placed her hand on the back of her head.   
It was a habit that she picked up from Shunsui and Kisuke as of late, and it told him that she was nervous and trying not to reveal much to him about their meeting, “Captain Kuchiki sent me to the 2nd division for a few days. I got to meet her and Soi Fon. They seemed like really distant people, but I like her. She really seems like someone I would aspire to be. She is strong and courageous. She demands attention and respect.”   
Kisuke placed a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing, but it didn’t help. He busted out in a loud laugh at Midori’s aspirations for a captain he knew was full of it.   
Midori looked at him and rubbed her cheeks as embarrassment came over them, “I guess that was stupid, huh? I could never be like her.”   
He stopped laughing when he heard her belittling herself. He hated when she did this. He could see her confidence, but she hid it away when she was not sure of herself.   
“Well no, you could never be like her,” his pause caused Midori to shrink back like he was insulting her, “ you can only be Midori and isn’t that enough. You move mountains on your own without needing all that pretentious stuff, but I am sure she would love to hear you praise her so.”   
“Oh! Kisuke please, don’t tell her what I just said. I would be too embarrassed if she knew how I felt,” he smiled at her, “But thank you for saying something so reassuring like that.”  
She looked out at the pond. The wind pushed her hair across her face as fireflies began to dance around them. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. What really surprised him was that she was his. He leaned over to her and pressed his forehead against her shoulder.   
“Midori, you just being yourself makes you the most beautiful woman I have ever met.” She laid her cheek against his face. She was happy just being enough for him.   
Kisuke and Midori rose from their seat below the cherry blossom tree.  
“In a week from now, will you meet me at the Institute? I want to spend the evening with you and only you.”   
Her face got hot as her mind began to push naughty thoughts through it. She looked up at him and smiled.   
“I will be there,” she leaned forward and placed him in a hug, “my captain. I cannot wait to be with you.”   
“I cannot wait either.”   
He kissed her forehead and then kissed the back of her hand before leaving her standing under the tree. She watched him become a shadow going toward the gate before leaning back into the tree. Her heart was being so fast. She looked at the blossoms that were just starting to bloom, she smiled. She wanted her time with Kisuke to last forever, a lifetime. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them.  
She went to leave when she saw Byakuya. He was watching her. She turned her head at his appearance. He walked toward her and placed her against the tree, holding her there. She gasped at his forwardness.   
“Midori, it hurts to see you with him,” He placed his head on her shoulder, “I want to give you what you want from him. I want to be what makes your heart move.”   
He pulled back from her staring at her with searching eyes. He wanted to hear her say that he was all she ever wanted, but she couldn’t. She didn’t love Byakuya like that. Her heart was already Kisuke’s.   
She placed his young face in her hands, “Byakuya, I am sorry, but…”   
He placed his finger over her lips. He didn’t want to hear rejection again. He also knew that a kiss would not persuade her to choose him.   
He turned his back to her, “Will you let me love you from a far? Will you let me cherish you even though you will never love me in return?”   
She pushed forward and hugged his back. It surprised him, but she felt awful.   
“You can love me, Byakuya. I would never take that from you. I would rather you not love me though because I know it hurts you to see me with Kisuke, but if that will make you happy, I will not say anything against it. Just give finding someone else a try. Find your happiness. Cherish someone else and give them the happiness that you promised me.” He starred at the ground the whole time. He couldn’t let her see him cry again.   
He felt her arms leave his stomach and her chest leave his back. He straightened up as she walked by him, leaving him there to feel the cold wind move in where she once stood.   
He looked up at the moon and swore to himself, ‘Midori, I will always cherish you. I will always love you, no matter who comes into my life. You are my first love, and I will always be here to help you, even if it is from a distance.’   
He stood there by the cherry tree remembering her warmth against his back as he stared where she walked away. His eyes watering from the sting of rejection. 

*****  
Midori was excited when the day came that she would get to spend some alone time with Kisuke. She had placed in a bottle of alcohol some honeysuckle flowers to create a perfume. This was always the perfume she made. It reminded her of her mother. She placed some on her neck and her wrists. The smell of the honeysuckle made her wonder about how Captain Ukitake was doing. It had been a while since she went to see him and make him some honeysuckle tea. She fixed up a batch and hid the small bag in her uniform. She walked to the 8th division to drop it off with her uncle.  
When she walked through the 8th division barracks, many of the members called to her, wishing her a good morning. She waved back, smiling, and wished them a good morning as well. She hadn’t seen Lisa in a while, but then she thought that maybe she was off with Nanao helping her train. She stood in front of the door that went to her uncle’s office.   
She knocked and heard Shunsui’s voice, “Come in.”   
She opened the door only thinking that Shunsui was there, but he was being visited by Captain Ukitake.   
She noticed him immediately, “Oh, good morning, Captain Ukitake.” He looked from Shunsui to her. Shunsui saw the look between the two and so many thoughts entered his mind.   
She walked over to her uncle, “I thought I would stop by today, to speak with you a little. How are things going?”   
Her words were coming out a bit stiff, so to lighten the mood, Shunsui decided to tease her, “Are you really here to see Jushiro?” It was true, and it did surprise her that he knew this.   
“How did you know I was coming to see you about Captain Ukitake?” Shunsui and Jushiro looked at each other in surprise.   
Jushiro spoke up, “You came to see me?”   
Midori steadied her heart before pulling the tea from her uniform, “I brought you this tea because I was wondering how you were doing and wanted to wish you well.”   
She walked over to him and held out the tea. The scent of her honeysuckle perfume fell upon Jushiro and caused his heart to beat fast. He reached out to take the tea and held her hand for a moment before letting it go.   
She smiled at him, “I guess that was all.”   
She turned to leave, “Are we going off somewhere?”   
“I just wanted to get in a session of mental training before meeting a friend.”   
Shunsui smiled. He knew what she meant about mental training. It was her dancing.   
“Well, I will see you both later!”   
She walked out the door. Jushiro got up from his seat and walked to the door. He opened it to see Midori still standing there, “Midori?” she turned around and their faces were really close, “Thank you for the tea.” he kissed her cheek, “That was for last time.”   
A blush fell on Midori’s face as she walked down the hall, leaving the 8th division barracks. Her heart was pounding fast because it was not a secret to her own heart that she did feel something for him. She had the moment she met him at the oak tree in the 13th division. It was a strong connection that she tried to ignore because she had feelings for Kisuke, but every time she saw him, that strong connection with him would pulse through her like electricity. It was hard, but she tried to bury it like always.

*****  
Back in Shunsui’s office, Jushiro returned to his seat. Shunsui watched him come back to his seat and noticed a blush had appeared on his face. He knew that something had happened right outside his office door. His friend had to have feelings for his niece.  
He raised his eyebrow at his old friend, “So, you seem to like Midori.”   
The words caused Jushiro to become flustered. He placed a hand over his face to try and hide how red his face was, “Midori is nice. She is very helpful.”   
“Uh huh. I understand. You don’t have to hide your feelings on account of me. My niece is a beautiful girl. It’s just the first time I have seen you interested in anyone.”   
Shunsui was teasing Jushiro the more he talked about her, “I just… I think that she is great.”   
Jushiro could not find the words to say, but Shunsui interjected, “I would say that you are far more qualified than the one she calls her friend.”   
Jushiro’s face lost its embarrassment. He looked at Shunsui curious, “What do you mean? Is Midori sneaking around with someone?” He didn’t ask it in a jealous way, but a way of concern.   
Shunsui continued, “It seems Captain Kuchiki has informed me that Midori has been spending a lot of time around the Department of Research and Development.”   
Jushiro was confused. He thought that was part of Midori’s mission in the 6th division, “But wasn’t she supposed to be finding out information for Captain Kuchiki?”   
“Oh, she has given him loads of information, and it has been helpful to his division, but he has also given concern that Midori has been having a relationship with the 12th division captain, Kisuke Urahara.” Shunsui shared this information with a tinge of disgust in his voice.   
“Well, shouldn’t you be happy that she is happy. She seemed happy to me.”   
“I am not happy that she is with someone like him. He is too old for her. He is just not the right guy for her, is all.”   
Jushiro could see the worried look on his friend’s face, but he felt that his words were a little misdirecting, “Shunsui, you are contradicting what you said to me before. How would you be okay if I were with Midori, if you cannot accept her relationship with Captain Urahara, especially if you are worried about age?”   
“I know you, and I know you wouldn’t hurt Midori, plus I can keep an eye on you two. When she is in that Institute, I cannot keep an eye on her, and I don’t trust him. He has not had the best reputation that I have heard from others. I just don’t want him to drag her down when she has worked so hard to be where she is.”   
“That is understandable, but sometimes we have to give up the rein in order to let the horse lead itself to where you are going otherwise it will buck you right off.”   
Shunsui looked at Jushiro because his analogy was really something interesting. Was he keeping a leash on Midori and not letting her grow up?   
“No, I just want to keep her safe,” he thought to himself.   
“I suppose you are right, but he is still not the right guy for her,” he tried to explain to Jushiro. He did not want Midori to get hurt by someone, especially someone she had feelings for. It would crush her, and he did not know what seeing her heartbroken would do to him.  
Jushiro rolled his eyes and teased Shunsui, “Just like a dad.”   
“Exactly.”  
Jushiro and Shunsui continued visiting with each other. The thought of Midori being with someone else stayed in the back of Jushiro’s mind. He had seen her on different occasions but had never gotten to really know her. All he knew at this moment was that she was a woman he considered very beautiful, and his heart always did beat faster when he saw her, or someone talked about her. He was enamored with the thought of her. He could feel a connection with her that he had never felt with any other woman he came in contact with. Maybe even a little bit, he could feel a twinge of jealous fill his chest. He did not like the thoughts of Midori being with someone else, but the only person he could blame was himself. He had not tried to get closer to her and that was his loss.

*****  
Midori went off to her barracks and changed from her Soul Reaper uniform to her stealth uniform. She went down to the pond behind the barracks and began to do her mental training by dancing again. She was stressed out about a lot of things. She was stressed about her relationship with Kisuke and her feelings for Captain Ukitake. Her cheek still held the kiss that Captain Ukitake gave her. She wondered if this was the same for him when she kissed his cheek.   
“Was he just teasing me because he thought it was fun? Does he have feelings for me?” Midori could not get these questions out of her head, and she couldn’t just ask him. She would be too embarrassed to do that.   
She danced around the pond, but her mind and body just weren’t in it. She just sat down at the pond watching the frogs jump from lily pad to lily pad. She watched as the lily pads floated around in circles. Her mind went to Captain Ukitake’s demeanor, and the way that he acts when she is around. She noticed that he was always drawn to her when she was around. There were always times when she would catch him watching her. She blushed thinking about it.   
She remembered treating him the first time and her kissing his cheek. She hadn’t really started anything with Kisuke at the time, but now that he returned her kiss, her feelings were mixed. She needed to hide those feelings. She had chosen to get close to Kisuke, and she cared so much for him. She loved him. She still felt that she didn’t want anyone to know about their relationship, yet. She wanted to tell her uncle about it, but never found the right time. She figured he would understand, but then again, she feared he would overreact since her and Kisuke were so far a part in age, and he didn’t know Kisuke like she did. She resolved her feelings for the both of them and realized that it was already getting to be after noon. She rose from her spot at the pond and walked off happily toward the Institute. 

*****  
Midori walked through the door to Institute to see Kisuke sitting at his desk. The promise that he made about them being completely alone was true. There was no one here, even Mayuri was gone. She closed the door quietly and walked up to him. She ran her fingers along his arm. It sent off sparks in Kisuke.   
He looked up at her with a smile on his face, “Well, good afternoon, my sweet girl.”   
He pulled her onto his lap, straddling him. She hugged his neck letting him take in her scent. She was completely covered in her honeysuckle perfume that he loved. He kissed her neck which caused her to moan. He ran her fingers into the waves of her hair, cupping the back of her head, and pulling her into a kiss. He rubbed his tongue over her bottom lip, and she parted her lips for him to explore her mouth. She loved the feeling of his kissing and how they placed her in a sweet state of ecstasy. She was always drawn into him with his kiss.   
“Has my captain been busy today?” she asked him through their kiss. He nodded his head in agreement as he continued to kiss her. Her nickname for him drove him crazy and she knew that. The way she said it caused goosebumps to appear over his arms and legs.   
He allowed his hands to rub her bare back. He loved the way the stealth uniform caused her to look so alluring to him. The access alone caused his mind to race with naughty ideas. The sensation of his hands on her back caused her body to heat up. She leaned back into his arms. She loved the way that he always had warmth in his touch when she was so cold. He held her there and stared into her violet eyes. He could see the seductive way she looked at him, and it was pulling him in deeper into her world. He pulled her quickly to him, and they caught themselves into a rush of feverish kisses that seemed to only cause them to want each other more. He kissed down her neck causing Midori to moan again in pleasure.  
She couldn’t hold it anymore, but she had so much worry about what would happen if they went any further than they already were. She got up from his lap and happily walked to the back table. She noticed that the blueprint of the Hogyoku was out in the open. It seemed that perhaps Mayuri had been there earlier to help Kisuke out. She stared at it wanting to help Kisuke further with his development. She noticed that he took her notes on how big it should be, but his units for powering it were wrong. She noticed that there needed to be more than the 55,000 units than was described. As she stared at it thinking more about what it needed to be powered, Kisuke walked up behind her and started kissing the back of her neck.   
He did not notice her write anything, his attention was only on her, “What is on your mind, my sweet girl?” She did not answer. She was focused on the blueprint. “Are you upset about something? Have you been stressing again?” His words began to reach her.   
She stayed facing the table, but spoke to him, “Kisuke, I don’t know how you knew I was stressed, but I have decided that I will stop asking you to hide us. I feel that it is not right to you and not right to myself. If my uncle has a problem with it after it is public, I will deal with him and express my dearly important feelings that I have for you.”   
He began kissing her shoulder and her neck, again. He placed his hands on the sides of her stealth uniform where they were open and placed his warm hands inside, cupping her breasts. She moaned at his movement and leaned back into him, resting the back of her head against his right shoulder. He began to rub her nipples around in his fingers as he continued to kiss her left shoulder. It gained him more moans, and the occasionally pelvic thrust into him. He was driving her crazy. He removed his hands and turned her around, taking her lips with his. He kissed her hungrily as he pushed the blueprint, causing it to roll to the left side of the table. He kissed Midori’s collar bone, and in one swoop grabbed her hips and placed her on the table. He began to kiss her feverishly.   
He pulled away to feel her breath on his face. “What did you say, my sweet girl? I did not hear you, tell me, again.”   
Panting through their kisses, “I don’t want to hide us anymore from anyone. I want you to show everyone the things you want to show them about us. If my uncle has a problem with it, I will deal with him.”   
She was completely aroused by him. She grabbed at the sash that held his uniform around his waist and opened it. She kissed him as she pulled him toward her rubbing her hands all over his chest.   
“I will help you deal with him, Midori. My sweet girl cannot take full responsibility for what we both have a hand in, now can she?”   
“I suppose not.”   
He moaned when Midori kissed his chest and swirled her tongue around his left nipple. He watched her curiousness as she explored ways to please him. Her touches caused him to want her more. He lifted her face and kissed it. He pushed his tongue into her mouth which caused Midori’s head to swim. He kissed down her neck and onto her collar bone before he slipped his hands into the sides of her uniform and pulled it over her breasts.   
“It’s only fair, I get to explore you,” Midori blushed with his words. She let him continue to please her.  
He cupped one of her breasts with one and placed the other in his mouth, using his tongue to please her nipple and his fingers to tease the other. Midori pushed back on the table and looked up at the ceiling. All the pleasure she was feeling from his touches caused her to quiver inside. She closed her eyes to take in more of the pleasure. Kisuke noticed Midori’s face and it made him happy. With how innocent her face was, he knew that she was a virgin, but he didn’t know anyone could make a face like that. It set off a fire inside of him, but he didn’t want to seem to anxious. He wanted to continue to tease her, so he placed her breasts back into her uniform, fixed his uniform, and left her sitting on the table to return back to his desk.  
Midori did not realize that he had left her. She opened her eyes to see him back at his desk. She thought that maybe what had happened was a dream, but then her body still had the feeling of his hands all over her.   
“Does he still see me as a child? What was he thinking? Why did he stop? Did I do something wrong?” her thoughts made her feel lonely. Midori did not know what to do.  
A tear fell from her eye and hit her hand. She sat there for some time just watching his back. She loved him. Really loved him. Did he not love her as much?   
“Am I being a burden to him?” her mind still stirred up doubt about her being with him.  
Midori stepped down from the table and walked pass Kisuke’s desk in a hurried fashion, but before she could get to the door, Kisuke had flashed stepped in front of her. He saw her face was wet. He had hurt her, somehow. He opened his arms, and she ran into them like a magnet. Nothing more was any truer than her love for him. He was of course in her eyes coddling her like a child.   
“Where are you going? Did you not want to spend time with me, today?” Kisuke asked concerned about Midori.   
“Yes, I want to spend time with my Captain today, but I am greedy and childish, so my Captain wants to work instead of spending time with me.”   
She rested her face on his warm chest. He grabbed the lock on the door and secured it. He pulled his captain’s jacket off and placed it around her. He scooped her up and carried her back to his chair and sat down with her sitting on his right leg. He continued looking at the document in front of him, but Midori noticed that there was something pushing against her left thigh. She got curious. She took her left hand that was resting on her thigh and began to touch it. Kisuke moaned at her first touch. Midori continued to touch it as she looked at his face. Kisuke was flustered by her touching him so sensually.   
He placed his hand on his face and looked at her through his fingers, “The things you do to me, Midori.”   
She continued touching him causing him to drop his document. He grabbed her hips and pulling her to him, causing her to straddle him. He kissed her lips while she hovered over his groin that was bulging from her touch. She giggled playfully as she felt it rub against her sex. She leaned forward and pushed herself onto his groin further. He pulled his head back looking at the ceiling moaning. It had been a very long time since he had someone that wanted him like this.   
He let her kiss his neck, and then she went to his ear and began to lick at the outside of his ear and sucked at his earlobe. She caused Kisuke’s body to heat up with every touch she gave him.  
She whispered in his ear, “My Captain…,” those words sent a fire through Kisuke’s body.   
He wanted Midori like nothing else. It was not only her straddling him that made his erect member rub against her sex, but she had to hug him and whisper into his ear the words that filled him with desire.   
He got up from his chair and pushed all the documents from his table with her still straddling him. He placed her on top of his desk. She allowed his captain’s jacket to fall around her like a blanket and pulled him to her. She kissed him and reached down inside of his pants to his erect member. She had never done this before, but she liked the way that it made him feel when she touched it earlier. This sent sparks through his whole body when her bare hands touched him so sensually.   
“Do you want to know what you are doing to me, Midori?”   
“Tell me,” she stated as she tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth. It was like someone else was controlling her.   
Kisuke reached and grabbed the pants to her stealth uniform and pulled them gently off in one tug revealing her underwear. He placed his hand on her thigh and began to slowly ascend to her panties. He moaned loudly when she cupped his balls with her right hand as she loosened his kimono with her left one. He was now in front of her with a wide opened kimono and pants that were being invaded by her right hand. She wrapped her hand around his erect member and began to move up and down letting her wrists take control. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from setting him off. It had been many years since he had been with anyone else.  
“It’s my turn to ravish you, Midori.”  
She did not know what he meant, but he pushed her back on her elbows on his desk and pulled her panties to one side. He used his tongue to suck on the bundle of nerves that was her sweet spot. She lifted her head to the ceiling and let out a loud moan. She had never felt anything like this before. He played with her until his mouth was filled with her juices. He looked at Midori’s face that was full of pure ecstasy. He smirked and placed a finger inside of her. She gasped for air and looked down at him with a worried look on her face.   
He looked back at her, “I’ll be gentle.”   
She nodded and he went back to what he was doing. He then realized that Midori was a virgin. He knew it from the start, but him taking part in her sex proved his theory was correct.  
He went back to pleasuring her until she was wet enough to place another finger inside of her. She moaned again this time not taking her eyes off of the ceiling. She was so aroused by what he was doing. She felt a rush inside of her, and then it was like her body convulsed involuntarily. Kisuke felt this and smiled, but when he retreated his fingers from her a stream of what looked like clear liquid flew from her and hit him in the face. He licked it from around his mouth. “You taste so sweet, Midori.” Her face burned red. He pulled her panties off and placed his whole mouth over her sex, exploring more of her and tasting more of her juices.  
Her body was so tense, and she was becoming exhausted from all the convulsions that Kisuke was placing on her body. She intertwined her fingers in his pale blonde hair and pushed him deeper into her. He did as she wanted. He pleasured her on his desk for what felt like hours. When Midori had enough of his tongue and fingers, she pulled him up from her thighs and placed him in a kiss. She could taste herself and understood what Kisuke meant by sweet.   
She hugged his neck and whispered in his ear, “Kisuke, do you want me?” Excitement pushed through all his senses.   
“More than you know. Tell me what you want.”   
She looked down at her partially naked body, and then his partially naked body. She pushed herself forward making him back up from his desk. She stepped off of the desk.  
Standing in front of Kisuke, she placed her hands at each side of his pants and pushed them down to the ground. She stopped on the way back up and grabbed a hold of his erect member. He moaned wanting her to do more than just grab it. She answered his mental plea and placed him into her mouth. This caused him to go weak in the knees. She sucked at it making sure not to hit it with her teeth. She came to the head and licked the tip, rolling it around with her tongue.   
“Midori, if you continue, I’m going to…” White come began to come out, so Midori covered his member with her mouth allowing it to go into her mouth.   
She swallowed what was in her mouth and looking up at Kisuke who was watching her, “It is a little salty.”   
She smiled at him with a little bit of his come on her chin. He lifted her up from the floor and wiped her chin with a cloth that was laying on a table beside his desk. He threw it in the trash bin afterwards.  
He kissed her deeply, licking her bottom lip to make her open her mouth. He inserted his tongue into her mouth and rubbed his tongue around hers. Midori mind was burning from all this pleasure. She returned his kiss as she backed him into his chair. He sat down with her coming down on top of him. She hovered over his erect member with her opening.   
She stopped kissing him to look into his eyes, “Will it hurt?”   
“There will be some pain, I’m afraid.” She kissed him and without warning she gently lowered her opening down on top of Kisuke whose eyes opened in surprise.  
He pulled away from her and allowed for her to cling his neck. She moved her hips up and down, trying to adjust to the discomfort. When Kisuke could feel her exhaustion, he grabbed her hips placing her around him as he placed her back on his desk. He reached down placing his arms on each side of her while keeping himself still inside of her.   
“I love you, Midori.”   
The happiness and excitement that she had been feeling inside from their experience was about to explode from his words. She reached for his arms grabbing them as he began thrusting slowly inside of her.   
“I love you, too, Kisuke. I really love you,” She pushed out of her mouth through the moans of pleasure Kisuke was causing her. He kept going until he felt Midori come again, and he couldn’t stop himself. He gripped her hips as he finished inside of her.   
His breathing was hard, but so was hers. He placed his head on top of her chest while she kissed his head. They laid there for some time. She placed her hands in his hair and played with it. The feeling of her fingers in his hair caused him to moan more. He looked up at her, and she smiled back down at him.   
“If you keep doing that, I will have to torture you again.” She raised her hands into the air while he lifted himself up. She was too exhausted to go again especially since it was her first time.   
Kisuke reached inside of his desk and pulled out a small box with wipes in it. He cleaned Midori up first and went about cleaning himself off. He pulled his pants up and then tied his kimono back over him. Midori had gotten down from his desk and dressed herself, making sure that her uniform was straight and like it was before their love making. She went over to the left side of the desk where all of Kisuke’s things were in the floor and started picking them up.   
Kisuke came up behind her and grabbed her, placing her backside perfectly against his groin, “I can clean that up later. Do you want to snuggle in my chair?”   
Midori placed what she had onto the edge of the desk and let Kisuke carry her back to his chair. She grabbed at his captain’s jacket on the way back.   
When he sat her down on his lap, she covered them both with it. “Kisuke…”  
“Yes?” he looked through closed eyes down to her.   
She was fidgeting with his kimono wanting to say something she knew would embarrass herself. He loved to watch her fidget. She looked up at him with confidence in her eyes. It caused Kisuke’s heart to beat faster in response.   
“I am happy that my first time was with you,” she grabbed his neck, “I love you so much.”   
He rubbed her back and kissed her head, “I love you, too Midori, and don’t you ever question that. I want to tell you something serious,” she stopped hugging him and stared into his eyes, “I have never felt toward anyone else the way I feel about you. I am happy that I am your first, but I wouldn’t have cared if I were your 100th. The excitement and the feelings I felt being with you have been a first for me. I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t want to be hurt by you either.”   
The insecurity that Midori saw in Kisuke made her understand that her feelings were not the only ones involved. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.   
“I would never in this lifetime hurt you. I want to stay by your side for as long as I can. I want to cherish this time, and I want to cherish you as much as I can. I feel the same way about being hurt. Kisuke, I am inexperienced in love and love making, but I know that what I feel when I am with you is something genuine and something, I have longed for more than anything else.” He shook his head in agreement and placed Midori in an embrace. They sat there for some time without a single word between them.   
Eventually, they nodded off until sometime later when a loud banging woke Midori up. She got up from Kisuke and placed his captain’s jacket over him. She walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. She was surprised that the person knocking on the Institute door was her uncle.   
Her eyes flew open as he walked in furious, “Did you know that I have been looking everywhere for you? Captain Kuchiki said that he sent for you hours ago, have you been here this whole time?”   
Shunsui’s booming voice caused Kisuke to wake immediately. He slung his captain’s kimono over him and stepped beside of Midori, “She has been helping me with an experiment. My apologies, Captain Kyoraku. She is free to go now. Please give my apologies to Captain Kuchiki.”   
Shunsui was not happy with Kisuke’s reply, but looked down at Midori, “You better go.”   
She looked back at Kisuke with a sad look on her face and before leaving she spoke to Shunsui, “Uncle Shunsui, Kisuke and I are…”   
“…in a relationship. I know. Be off with you to Captain Kuchiki.”   
She was surprised but did as she was told. Kisuke was happy that she told him, but how did he already know about them?   
Shunsui closed the door after she left through it, “How did you already know about us?”   
Shunsui grabbed Kisuke by the collar of his kimono and ignored his question, “You know she is only 20! You know that she is like my daughter, right!” Kisuke nodded his head in agreement to both, “She is not your plaything, your experiment. I won’t have you hurt her, Kisuke Urahara. I don’t care what feelings you think you have, end it!”   
Kisuke was floored by his demands but felt that it really was not any of his business, “I’m sorry but Captain Kyoraku, I cannot do that.”   
Shunsui’s face turned to disgust, “And why not?”   
“Because I love her, and she loves me. I hate to tell you, but she is grown and can make her own decisions. It is best you focus on your work, and I will take care of Midori.” Kisuke said the wrong thing and in one movement Shunsui knocked Kisuke on his backside.   
“If you love her let her go. If you care about my niece than leave her alone. She doesn’t need you interfering with her duties and causing her to fall out of rank that she has worked so hard for.”   
Kisuke licked the inner part of his lip and tasted blood, “I could do what you said Shunsui, but I am afraid that letting her go is far from what I intent to do. You can beat me to a bloody pulp if you want but know that if Midori catches wind of it, it will only serve to make her hate you.”   
Frustration rose in Shunsui, but he knew what Kisuke said was right. Midori wouldn’t have told him if she wasn’t serious about Kisuke. She wouldn’t even waste her time on him if that was the case. He looked down at Kisuke who was getting back up.   
He was resolved to let it go for her sake, “Well, I don’t fully agree with it, but if this is what she has chosen you better not hurt her, or I’ll make your life here in the Seireitei hell.” Kisuke was shocked to hear Shunsui’s agreement to allow them to see each other.   
The door to the Institute opened up and Midori walked back in. Her Captain only wanted to get an update from her on things in the Seireitei and asked her to come back later. She looked between Kisuke and Shunsui and then she saw the blood on Kisuke’s lip.   
She ran over to him, “What happened to your lip?”   
She went to touch it, but he moved his face away from her keeping his eyes on Shunsui.   
She turned to Shunsui, “What did you do?”   
She looked at him in a way she had never looked at him, anger filled her eyes. He stopped looking at Kisuke to look at her and the look in her eyes crushed him. She reached her hand back and slapped his face. Kisuke’s mouth fell open slightly.   
“Why did you hit him? Why do you have to meddle in things that involve me and be so overly protective that I can’t get close to anyone?! You aren’t my father, so stop acting like him!” Shunsui was stunned. His face stung, but she didn’t hit him that hard. It was like a wake-up call. Midori turned her back to him, facing Kisuke. Tears streamed down her face, but only Kisuke saw.   
Shunsui reached for her, but turned to leave, “I’ll stop then.” A whimper was heard in his voice.   
It was a hard pill to swallow, but he never thought she would ever take someone else’s side. She was right, he was not her father, but he still saw her as his daughter. He slammed the door behind him which caused Midori to swing toward the door. She felt overwhelmed at everything that had just happened and fell to the ground.   
Kisuke rushed to her placing her in a hug, “I’m sorry, Midori. I’m sorry.”   
“It’s no one’s fault but my own.”   
He patted her back and pulled her deeper into his chest. Midori stayed like that until the door opened again, and it was Mayuri coming in to help Kisuke with their nightly project. Midori retreated to the door after Mayuri entered, not saying a word to any of them. Kisuke felt defeated. He just wanted to hold Midori and help her anyway he could. He felt that it was his fault for them getting into it. He had been the one making advances on her, but he loved her. He wanted to share every experience with her, even if it made Shunsui mad. He signaled for Mayuri to follow him, and they went to work.

*****  
Midori walked past the 6th division barracks to the 8th division barracks. The moon hung high over the sky as she walked in a trance. From time to time those in division 8th would speak to her but she couldn’t hear them. Her ears were filled with blood, she was furious. She was mad at herself. How could she strike him? How could see let her emotions appear on her face so easily? She felt horrible.   
She opened the door to her uncle’s office, and he was sitting on the floor of the balcony with a bottle of sake right beside of him. He allowed the night air nip at his hot drunken face. He was upset at what had occurred. It was a sight to be seen that his face held traces of tears that he let no one see.   
Midori walked over to the balcony and placed herself in his arms. He was surprised but understood her.   
“Uncle Shunsui, I am sorry. I am sorry I hit you. I am sorry I told you to stop being like my father, but I am not sorry for falling in love with Kisuke Urahara. I know you want to keep me safe, but how else will I learn about the world if I am always protected by you. I’m not saying that I don’t need you. I will always need you, but please give me the benefit of the doubt and trust my judgements.”   
“Alright, kiddo. I will trust you. I am sorry for overreacting, but I just couldn’t help it. He is way older than you, and you just turned twenty not long ago. I feel like I’m losing you. I’ve been attached to you for so long. I can’t turn you over to Kisuke Urahara. I don’t trust him.”   
“Just trust me. I promise if he hurts me then you can kill him.” She turned around on her knees and hugged Shunsui. He hugged her back.   
“Ok, it’s a deal. Just don’t renege on our deal when it comes true.”   
“Okay, but how did you know about us?” He did not want to say because that would mean that he had to tell on her captain.   
“I could just tell, plus it was obvious on your face when you saw me when I showed up at the Institute. You show your emotions so well on your face when you are happy.”   
Midori was embarrassed. She thought she hid her feelings well, but apparently not. She took his answer and did not push for more information. Midori turned back around looking up at the moon and fell asleep leaning against Shunsui.   
The next morning, she woke to Shunsui’s pink kimono on her, and he was sitting at his desk looking at document.   
“Morning, sleepy head. You know you are not a kid anymore, and you definitely are not light. I felt like I had a bunch of bricks on my chest last night.”   
“Uncle Shunsui, I am not heavy!” She slung his haori at him as she left the room. She walked back to the 6th division barracks to check in and explained the whole situation to Captain Kuchiki leaving out the part about her and Kisuke and the fight. He placed her on a mission to go and check in with Captain Unohana, and off she went to the 4th division barracks to get to work.


	6. A Kiss Below the Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori and Kisuke enjoyed some time alone. Shunsui and Midori got into an argument, but was quick to resolve because she could not do anything but apologize for her behavior. Where will this take Midori and Kisuke's relationship?
> 
> And now....Chapter Six: A Kiss Below the Lights....

Midori had been working at the 4th division barracks for a few days, now. She hadn’t left the barracks for those few days, sleeping in the same room as Captain Unohana, per her request. She got to know more about Captain Unohana. The Captain was a very sweet motherly figure. Midori thought that having Captain Unohana as a role model was something that she wanted. She knew she could learn a lot from her.  
During her time there she was working closely with Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada. He was a nice guy, and he was genuinely smart to boot. He showed Midori how to make remedies and ailment teas. There was one day that he taught her how to hone her Kaido just like she was part of the squad. Midori felt that these days she spent at the 4th division barracks would help set her up better as the 3rd seat of the 6th division. Captain Unohana kept an eye on them during Midori’s time in training in Kaido. She felt that Midori was a fast learner, and a natural at it.  
It was on the fourth day that Kisuke decided to come and check in on her. After their encounter and argument with Shunsui, he had not seen her and was concerned for her. Hearing from Lieutenant Sojun, Kisuke headed over to the 4th division barracks neglecting his own duties at the Institute. He stopped by the gate of the barracks and watched Midori with Lieutenant Yamada. He noticed a side of Midori that he had never seen. She was youthful and playful around him but with someone closer to her from what he could see in age it felt more natural. He began to doubt himself as the proper person for her, just like Shunsui had warned him about.  
Suddenly, Captain Unohana noticed Kisuke and walked over to him, “Is there something I can assist you with, Captain Urahara?” Kisuke stood there like she hadn’t said anything, but she noticed that he was staring at Midori, “She sure is a natural at medicine. Captain Kuchiki is very lucky to have her within his barracks. Did you come to see her?”  
Kisuke looked at her in surprise, but he knew from her expression that she already knew about them, “I would like to see her. Do you think you can let her know?”  
“I’m sure she would be happy to see you, now. Midori dear.” Midori looked up at Captain Unohana calling to her and noticed Kisuke beside of her.  
Midori’s face kind of looked irritated at being interrupted, it really didn’t have anything to do with him being there. She placed a hand on Seinosuke’s arm to let him know she would be back, and he nodded his head in reply. The smile that Seinosuke gave Midori really concerned Kisuke.  
“Does he want her?” Kisuke focused on Midori after that thought.  
She walked cheerfully toward Captain Unohana and Kisuke, a smile ignited on her face.  
When Midori finally came to Captain Unohana’s side, Captain Unohana placed a hand on Midori’s shoulder, “I leave him to you, then.”  
Midori’s face embraced a pinkish glow, and Kisuke rubbed his head like a teenager, “So, how is the Institute?”  
“Midori, I have been worried about you. Why have you not come to see me?”  
Midori noticed that he curtailed away from her question to get to the point, so much for small talk, “I have not been ignoring you. I have just been busy here with Captain Unohana doing what Captain Kuchiki requested of me. I really do not wish to get into an argument with you here about it. Would it be alright if I come see you after I finish with my work here?”  
Kisuke was a little hurt by her words. It almost felt like she was distancing herself from him, “That would be fine. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I was just worried is all.”  
“It’s alright.” She kissed his cheek and gave him a smile.  
From the table Midori was working at earlier, Seinosuke saw her kiss Kisuke, and it made him angry. It was bad enough that Kisuke had taken the position he wanted as the captain of the 12th division, but to also take a decent girl like Midori was beyond him. He smirked wickedly at the thought of hurting Kisuke to get back at him and using Midori would not be such a bad idea if he really did not have genuine feelings for her.  
Midori walked back over to the table and got back to work with Seinosuke. Kisuke watched her a little bit before catching Seinosuke’s eye and turning fast to go back to the Institute.  
At the end of Midori’s duties, she cleaned up her area and started off out of the barracks when Seinosuke called to her, “Midori, where are you off to?”  
“I was going to the Research and Development Institute.” She smiled at him.  
He walked over to the door, “I will walk you.”  
As to not be rude to someone above her station, she accepted his invitation. It wasn’t like she did not like Seinosuke. She enjoyed his company and had learned quite a lot from him over the past several days.  
On the way to the Institute, her and Seinosuke talked about different things. Midori shared with him her relation to Captain Kyoraku, and how she came to live with him. He thought her story was fascinating and felt a little like his story about not having any parents was similar to hers. Seinosuke felt that him and Midori had something in common. When they reached the door to the Institute, Midori turned to thank Seinosuke, but received a kiss on the cheek from him. She blushed, and his face was red.  
“I’m sorry, Midori. It is just I like you. I was wondering if you would go to the Lights Festival in the East Rukon District the day after tomorrow?”  
Midori was stunned by the fact that Seinosuke had feelings for her, but she was excited for a Lights Festival, “They hold a Lights Festival in the East Rukon District?”  
“Yes, it’s really beautiful.”  
“Well, I suppose that would be fun, but I should tell you something Seinosuke. I am actually seeing someone. I’m sorry I cannot return your feelings.” Seinosuke smirked something sinister lurking behind it, but soon changed it when he saw Midori looking at him.  
He placed his hand behind his head rubbing it, “It’s okay, Midori. We can go as friends. I just think you should experience it, is all.”  
“Okay, sounds like a plan.”  
She bowed to him and turned to walk down the path to the Institute. She touched the side of her face and in a sort of protective manner removed the feeling of Seinosuke’s kiss from existence. She did not want to think about another guy when she was with Kisuke. He was all she could think about, but then her mind flashed to Captain Ukitake. She did not know where that came from but shook her head as she opened the door and entered the Institute.  
Kisuke noticed her immediately and took leave from his desk. There were others in the Institute today, and she did not want to make a scene. Kisuke embraced Midori like no one else was in the room. She breathed in his scent and hugged him back. He seemed happy, like a pig in the mud.  
She walked with him back to his desk and propped her backside against the side of it, “Look, I’m sorry for not coming and seeing you sooner. There were just some things that I needed to take care of, and my mind got so entangled in working with Kaido and medicines. I just kind of lost track of the days and time. I hate that you worried yourself about me.”  
Kisuke took a seat at his desk and went back to looking at the documents spread out on it. He took in every word that Midori said, “I understand. I was just having a moment of…,” he got really close to her, “insecurity.” Her eyes opened wide. She never thought she would hear that from him.  
She just reached out to him and hugged him, pulling his head into her chest. He embraced her back and pulled her onto his lap. The other occupants in the room turned their heads and stared at them. They did not know that Kisuke and Midori were this close. When Midori saw their faces, she rose up from his lap and walked over to the table where the blueprint was a few days before. She looked down at it and studied it for a while. She could see that Kisuke was working hard on finding out how to complete its structure and its powering core. His handwriting was all over it, and she ran her fingers over it as if taking in another piece of him into her mind and heart.  
When the end of the day happened and everyone was leaving, Kisuke looked around to see Midori at the blueprint. He walked up behind her and embraced her. She felt the warm touch of him against her cold skin, even though it was under her squad uniform she was still cold. She always felt that way when she was in the Institute.  
“See anything on there you like?”  
She giggled and turned toward him, “Yes…”  
She grabbed him and pushed her lips on to his. He returned her kiss.  
“I may like you being a little forward?” She playfully punched his arm and went back to looking at the blueprint.  
“I think you have something wrong about the formula in the powering core.” Kisuke was nibbling on her neck as she spoke.  
He did not hear but about every other word she said, “Uh huh.” Midori moved her head onto the shoulder that Kisuke was trying to kiss to make him stop from tinkling her.  
She turned to face him completely, “I was invited to the Lights Festival in the East Rukon District the day after tomorrow. Do you want to go?”  
“I don’t go to those things, but you should go. Who invited you?”  
“Seinosuke, I mean Lieutenant Yamada.”  
Kisuke did not like her formality of calling him by his first name. It felt like she was extremely close to him like she was to him. He turned his back on her and walked back to his desk to look at the documents on his desk.  
“It would be fun if you came,” she explained as she walked back to him. He did not reply. “I think you would have fun. It would be nice to get out of the Institute from time to time,” he again did not reply, “Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”  
“Midori, I have work to do. I do believe you will have fun with him. It will be a time for you to be yourself.”  
His words hit Midori and cause a pain to appear in her heart, “I am myself, every day. It doesn’t matter if I am with you or him. I am Midori, and no one can make me become something I am not.” Midori was upset and Kisuke knew it.  
The door to the Institute opened and Mayuri was walking in. He walked over to Kisuke ignoring Midori and went to speak to him, but Midori interrupted, “You have yourself a good evening, Mr. Urahara.”  
She stormed off. Kisuke not listening to Mayuri placed his hands on his desk and slung the documents on it onto the floor. He slammed his fists down on his desk and fell back into his chair.  
“Don’t worry Captain, girls like that come and go. You shouldn’t exert your energy on her.” Mayuri walked away from him to the blueprint on the back table.  
He did not understand what just happened. He did not ignore her. He just told her how he felt about the Light Festival. How could she be so upset. He felt like a failure, but he quickly pushed the thought from his mind and began working with Mayuri. He noticed on the blueprint a number and a word not in his or Mayuri’s handwriting, but he recognized it from a scribbling of Midori’s. The number was written above the number 55,000 that was scratched over with a line; 100,000 cores written above it. Kisuke did not know what to make of it. How would she know what this object needed to power it? He placed his hand over it taking in Midori’s writing and hid it from Mayuri who was looking at the blueprint.  
“Mayuri, I’m not feeling well. I would like to continue this tomorrow.”  
“But Captain… I understand.” Mayuri walked out of the Institute leaving Kisuke there alone. The coldness of the lonely room finally hit him. He rubbed his hand over her words, “She doesn’t mean souls, does she. No, Midori would not even agree to something like that if it meant gathering souls to power it.” He closed his eyes and let the events of this afternoon play in his mind. He already missed her.

*****  
Midori frustrated walked all the way to the 4th division barracks and into Captain Unohana’s room. She did not feel hungry, she did not feel sleepy, but she felt disappointed. Millions of words and scenarios played in her mind, which one would have been better than storming out? Which one would have been better than nagging him about the Lights Festival? The door opening caused Midori to jump up from her laying position to Captain Unohana coming in.  
“Oh, Midori. I thought I saw you come in here. Are you alright? The squad said you hadn’t eaten anything.” She looked at Midori with motherly concern.  
“Kisuke is a jerk.” Captain Unohana wanted to reprimand Midori for her disrespectful tone toward a superior, but her motherly instincts kicked in as she saw Midori needed that guidance.  
She grabbed Midori and held her as a tear fell from Midori’s eye, “Do you want to talk about it? It will make you feel better.”  
She nodded her head yes in reply, “We argued about the Lights Festival, and he made me feel like a child. He made me feel like a burden to him. I care a lot about him. I love him, but I cannot get through to him that I wanted to go to the Lights Festival with him not Seinosuke. I mean there isn’t anything wrong with Seinosuke, but it’s not the same as going with someone you love.”  
Captain Unohana rubbed her back, “My dear, men are complicated creatures. They see us women as weak and always in the way. It is a strong woman that men recognize. They don’t understand our delicate nature. It takes a stern woman to reach them sometimes, especially those in the Seireitei. I know you are young, and you feel that Captain Urahara is the only man you will love but know that you have options. You are beautiful Midori. I not only see it, but I see it in the men in my squad. They are smitten by you and your upbeat attitude. It is very delightful to have you here. I am sure Captain Kuchiki has expressed this to you as well.”  
Midori shook her head in disagreement because her and Captain Kuchiki only talked about the Institute and her assignment with Captain Unohana, but Lieutenant Sojun had told her many times that she was a delight to be around especially the way she acted around Byakuya.  
“Well, I know from Captain Kyoraku that you lightened up his barracks when you lived there. You made his life a little better too when you came to live with him,” Captain Unohana got down on Midori’s level and excused herself, “If Kisuke cannot see the gem in front of him because he is too focused on the dirt then let him have the dirt, and you find your gem.”  
Midori’s eyes opened in surprise, and then she embraced Captain Unohana like she was her mother, “Thank you, Captain Unohana.”  
“Midori when we are in closed quarters like this you can call me Retsu if you want.”  
“Thank you, Retsu.”  
Even though Midori was raised in the Seireitei, she hated the honorifics that came with greeting those above her in station. She was glad so many people came to understand this or trusted her enough for her to call them by their first name. She only used their honorifics in front of other people as to not get reprimanded for her disrespect later.  
Midori rested, and the next day she worked with Seinosuke, again. He helped her understand the meaning of herbs and the meaning of surgical Kaido. While showing Midori a plant, their fingers touched causing Seinosuke to drop the plant and grab Midori’s hand with great passion. His hand was warmly cupped around hers. She looked up at him since he was a little bit taller than her. A blush pushed itself to the surface of her cheeks, and she pulled it away and looked away from him. He watched her expression which caused a smirk to show on his face. He went back to talking about the plant and its attributes to healing.  
The next flower was a flower that in the World of the Living was called the Lily of the Valley. Midori’s eyes lit up when she saw the long stem with little white bells all over it. Seinosuke broke one of the flowers off and tucked it behind her ear. A heat lit up Midori’s face as she stared at the plant. She knew that Seinosuke was flirting with her, even after she had told him about her being with someone.  
At the end of the day, Captain Unohana had told Midori that her time with them was ending, and she told Midori she could rest here tonight and leave in the morning, or she could go back to her barracks, tonight. Being too selfish to let go of her time here, Midori agreed that she would stay another night at the barracks with Captain Unohana.  
Night settled in quickly, but Midori was not sleepy. She sat outside of Captain Unohana’s room on the deck. Their barracks were very different from her uncle’s barracks with the balconies and the 6th division was almost similar to the 4th except the atmosphere here was more welcoming. She looked up at the stars when she felt someone come sit beside of her, it was Seinosuke.  
“Good evening, Midori. This is the first time I have seen you sitting here at night. What is wrong, can you not sleep?”  
“I’ve just had a lot on my mind, that’s all.”  
Seinosuke watched her as she watched the stars.  
“Could I really use her to get back at Kisuke? Am I really starting to have feelings for her?” he questioned his motives.  
Her violet eyes blinked slowly, and he could finally see how long her lashes really were. She was a beautiful woman in his eyes. Her auburn hair laid on her left should in curls and her white kimono covered her completely like something he had never seen before but urged him to want to get closer to.  
Without realizing it, he placed her hand in his and looked up at the sky. Midori took her eyes off of the stars to look at his hand. He eyed her from the corner of his eyes letting a smile breach his face. She wanted to move her hand, but it felt comfortable.  
“We are just friends. He is just being friendly, that is all. If he leaned over and tried to kiss me, I will go back in Captain Unohana’s room. I am with Kisuke. What am I doing thinking about this?” these thoughts filled her head and then a coldness embraced her hand.  
“I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable.” He bowed to her and kissed the top of her head. He walked away, but she could still feel the impression of his fingers intertwined in her own. She stared back at the stars. Seinosuke looked back at her before entering his room and closing the door.  
Midori woke early the next morning. Captain Unohana was gone, but the birds had not begun to sing yet. She placed her squad uniform on and gathered her belongings. She placed them in her bag and walked out of her room. She walked down the hall to where Captain Unohana’s office was. She knocked and entered to find her and Seinosuke speaking.  
They both looked up to Midori bowing, “I want to thank you for welcoming me to the 4th division barracks. I will be happy to come back if you need my assistance further.”  
“You are welcomed here anytime, Midori,” Captain Unohana said with a smile on her face.  
Midori waved goodbye and looked at Seinosuke who was looking away with a blush on his face. Midori giggled and exited the room closing the door behind her.  
As she reached the gate to exit the 4th division barracks, she heard someone calling her name, “Midori, wait!” She turned around to see Seinosuke running to her. Had she forgotten something?  
When he finally stopped in front of her, she questioned him, “Did I forget something?”  
He wrapped her in a hug that caused Midori to go completely red in the face, “I cannot wait for tonight. I will meet you in front of the gate leading into the East Rukon District.” He let go of her before turning to leave without hearing her reply.  
She yelled to him, “See you there.” 

*****  
She blushed all the way to the 6th division barracks where she entered into her captain’s office to report in. Captain Kuchiki was pleased to hear that she was well versed in healing and asked her to write a report about the herbs and Kaido to be used in emergency. He wanted her to turn it in at her leisure. She went to her room, dropped her stuff off, and headed over to the 8th division barracks to see Lisa.  
Lisa was in Captain Kyoraku’s office. Midori let herself in like always. She smiled so happily at her uncle and asked for Lisa’s help with something. Shunsui smiled back seeing how happy that Midori was and agreed to let Lisa help her. Lisa walked with Midori to her old room.  
When they entered, Lisa questioned Midori, “What is this all about?”  
“I have been invited to the Lights Festival tonight and I need your help with getting ready.” Lisa smiled. It was the first time Midori had come to her about something like this.  
Lisa asked about her time at the 4th division and about her relationship with Kisuke. She was floored to learn about Kisuke letting another man take Midori to the Lights Festival.  
She had an idea, “Hey Midori, let’s get back at Kisuke for letting you fall into the arms of another man.”  
“How?”  
“I will make you the most desirable woman in the East Rukon District.”  
Midori looked at herself in a mirror, “Well, that will take a lot of time and the festival is tonight.”  
“Good Lord, no it will not. Wait right here.” Lisa left and a few minutes later came back in with a beautiful red yukata. It had cherry blossoms designed all over it.  
She told Midori to get undress, and she helped her place the beautiful yukata on. It hung in all the right places.  
“Now, for that mess you call hair.”  
She giggled with Midori. Lisa placed Midori’s hair in an ancient Japanese style hairdo, but left the back roll hanging and pulled two sections of hair to frame her face. She curled the hanging hair and placed an ornamental pink hair pin in her hair that matched the cherry blossoms on her dress. She finished the look by placing red rouge on her lips, black mascara on her eyes and added blush to her cheeks. Lisa stepped back and stared at her.  
“My best masterpiece yet.”  
Midori chuckled and then Lisa pulled her in front of a long mirror, “Oh my God, Lisa! I don’t even recognize myself.”  
“Gorgeous, huh?! It didn’t take much since you were already so gorgeous anyway.”  
“Thank you, Lisa! You are the best.”  
“Now wait a minute, there is one stop we have to make before you leave.”  
“Where?”  
“Captain will want to see you, trust me.” Lisa also knew who else would be in Captain Shunsui’s office, and she knew that Midori has had a crush on him since the first time she met him.  
Lisa grabbed Midori’s arm and walked her to Shunsui’s office. She knocked, opened the door, and pulled Midori in. Shunsui’s mouth opened when he saw Midori. He was speechless.  
A voice came from the right of her, “You look absolutely beautiful, Midori.” Midori recognized the voice belonging to 13th division Captain Ukitake. She felt a blush breach her cheeks but was thankful that the blush that Lisa had applied was covering it somewhat.  
“Thank you.”  
“I say she is gorgeous. Where are you going?”  
Lisa chimed in, “Well tonight, Captain Urahara took it upon himself to allow another man to take Midori to the Lights Festival in the East Rukon District, so she is going with Seinosuke Yamada.”  
Shunsui stopped smiling and looked serious for a moment and then resumed smiling in front of Midori. Midori elbowed Lisa in the side causing her to stumble a little, but Lisa kept her composure.  
“I think a Lights Festival would be amazing to see. I do hope you have a wonderful time, Midori.” Captain Ukitake mentioned to her.  
“Would you like to come, Captain Ukitake?”  
Everyone in the room was shocked to hear Midori be so forward, but she was only being friendly.  
Captain Ukitake blushed a little, but found his composure, “I am afraid that in my condition going that far would be bad for me. Enjoy them in my stead and come tell me about them afterwards.”  
“I sure will.” Midori smiled at Ukitake.  
Unknown to Midori, Ukitake’s heart began to beat faster at her smile. Midori turned to leave waving goodbye.  
Lisa, Shunsui, and Jushiro watched her leave, but then Shunsui noticed Jushiro was staring too intently, “See something you like, old friend?”  
It startled Jushiro, but he kept his cool, “Just a gorgeous girl is all.” Shunsui smiled and slapped his friend on the back. Lisa smiled and giggled at their playfulness.  
Shunsui scribble on a piece of paper a short note and handed it to Lisa, “Lisa take this to Captain Urahara for me.”  
“Yes sir.”  
Jushiro got curious about the note Shunsui handed to Lisa, “What are you planning, Shunsui?”  
“Just a lesson for Captain Urahara, Jushiro. Just a lesson.”

*****  
Midori walk through the 8th division barracks got her so many looks. It made her feel like she was royalty or higher class. She walked through the town to the gate that led out to the East Rukon District. Standing at the gate was Seinosuke Yamada. He was in his Lieutenant uniform waiting patiently.  
She walked up to him without him noticing her, “Is this the way to the Lights Festival?”  
He looked up and his mouth dropped. He had never seen anyone dress up like Midori. She was gorgeous, and the yukata that she wore fit her in all the right places. He held out his arm wanting her to take it. She decided that it wouldn’t hurt, and they both went off into the district for the festival.

*****  
Lisa made her way to the Institute and knocked on the door. She walked up to Kisuke who was sitting at the desk, “Captain Kyoraku asked me to deliver this message to you, Captain Urahara.”  
“I see. Let’s see what this says.”

Will you let another man move in on the woman you love?

Kisuke closed the note and thanked Lisa. She rolled her eyes at him and left him with his thoughts. She knew exactly what Shunsui was planning, and she hoped it would work.  
He thought back to what Midori had told him, ‘Kisuke, I was asked to the Lights Festival by Seinosuke Yamada. Will you be going to the Lights Festival?’  
It hit him, the man that was taking Midori to the festival was the guy he saw flirting with her at Captain Unohana’s barracks. He jumped up from the desk and darted out the door, leaving his work in the Institute for another day.

*****  
Midori was having fun with Seinosuke, and Seinosuke was being a complete gentleman. He noticed that the men in the district kept looking at Midori. He knew how beautiful she was, especially tonight.  
He placed his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, “I don’t want them to think that they can take you away.” She looked over to the men staring at her and agreed to let him continue to do that.  
When it was time for the lights to be released, Seinosuke took Midori to a secluded area of the district where there were only two large trees that looked over a lake. Midori left his side and gasped at the beauty before her. The stars reflected over the lake like diamonds. Seinosuke came up beside of her. He grabbed her hand and held it. She was too busy looking at the stars to notice. After how close he had been today, it seemed to not bother her like it had before.  
Unknown to Midori and Seinosuke, Kisuke was behind a tree watching them. He wanted to take her from him and enjoy the rest of the festival with her, but would she have him. She did sound mad the last time they spoke. He stared at her. She was in the most beautiful yukata that he had seen. Her hair was sensual, but gorgeous and her lips were the color of roses. He knew by looking at her against the lake that he loved her. He truly loved her, and she had to be his, only his. He hesitated and waited to see what Seinosuke would do.  
The district began to let the lights go. The lanterns floated out over the lake. Midori pulled her hand from Seinosuke to place them in front of her. She was so excited and giddy about the lanterns illuminating the sky.  
Seinosuke stepped closer to her, “Midori, I have a surprise for you. Will you close your eyes?”  
Midori hesitated, but she loved surprises. Kisuke hadn’t ever given her a surprise before. She closed her eyes still facing the lake, and when Kisuke realized what was about to happen, he raced from the tree and placed himself in between Seinosuke and Midori, kissing her instead.  
She felt his lips against hers, but they were familiar and the scent she breathed in was familiar, too. She opened her eyes to see Kisuke there kissing her. She stepped back taking him in.  
She then heard a very angry voice come from beside her, “What the hell are you doing, Captain Urahara?”  
“Kissing my girl, Lieutenant.” Kisuke pulled Midori toward him and kissed her, again.  
Seinosuke’s face lit on fire. He was furious. He reached out and grabbed Kisuke’s collar pulling him from Midori.  
Midori’s heart started beating fast, she was shocked, worried, and panicking, but her voice came out assertive and stern just like Captain Unohana told her, “Seinosuke, let him go!” She pushed him off of Kisuke. He stepped back in confusion.  
“But Midori, this was our date. Why did he have to come ruin it?”  
“Date? I didn’t know this was a date. I thought you were inviting me out as a friend.”  
“Well, if you thought that then why did you wear such an outfit?” Seinosuke fixed his lieutenant uniform and raised an eyebrow at her.  
“I was told this would make Kisuke jealous.”  
She looked out at the lake. Kisuke came up beside of her and wrapped his arm around her waist, “And it did just that. Lieutenant, I am happy that you showed my girlfriend around for the evening, but I have it from here. Thank you.”  
Seinosuke looked furious. Midori was leaving with Kisuke. She picked Kisuke over him. She was just like Kisuke.  
“Midori, I thought you were different from everyone else. I thought you were just like me. Why did you choose him?” Midori turned around to face Seinosuke.  
She walked away from Kisuke to Seinosuke, “I told you earlier that I had someone else. I did not want to lead you on, but you’ve been trying harder and harder to get me to notice you. I did notice you, Seinosuke, but my heart was not mine to give anymore. I am sorry if this hurts you. Please, still consider me as a friend, and thank you for the lovely evening. I am sorry I pushed you.”  
She walked back to Kisuke and they left. Seinosuke stood there at the tree beside the lake and punched it, blood trickled down his fingers onto the ground, “I will get you, Kisuke Urahara.”  
Kisuke walked Midori over to a meadow in the East Rukon District where there was a clear opening and a large field of flowers. Midori raced out into the middle of it causing the fireflies to rise from the flowers. They surrounded Midori as she danced around. Kisuke standing not that far from her stared in amazement.  
He said softly, “Just beautiful.”  
Midori barely heard him, but it was enough for her to walk toward him, “What is beautiful, Kisuke?”  
He grabbed her and kissed her. She pulled him out into the flowers with her, and they both fell to the ground.  
They looked up at the sky for a few moments then Midori rolled on her side and kissed Kisuke’s cheek, “Thank you for coming to the festival with me.”  
“Just remember I came only for you and no other reason.”  
She pushed her lips on top of his, “Not to stop Seinosuke from having his way with me?” she questioned through their kisses.  
“Would you have let him?”  
“I guess you should have waited to find out, huh.”  
He grabbed her on both sides of her waist and began to tickle her, “Tell me and I will stop.” Tears of laughter fell from her cheeks and she couldn’t help by laugh in convulsions.  
“Okay, okay…” He stopped to let her catch her breath.  
Midori hiked the yukata that was tight around her thighs up and straddled Kisuke, “You are the only man who has the right to have his way with me.”  
“Excellent response, as always.” He kissed her neck and then loosened the sash on her yukata to allow for him to get access to her chest.  
“Out here?”  
“I think it is appropriate considering how long it would take us to get back.”  
He rested his head on her chest and took in the aroma of Japanese cherry blossoms, Lisa must have snuck that scent into her yukata.  
Midori hugged Kisuke’s neck, “Can we wait? I want to make love to you in your room.” Kisuke looked up at her and pulled the sash he loosened away from her. He re-tied it and stood up picking Midori up into his arms.  
“Whatever my sweet girl wants, my sweet girl gets.”  
Kisuke and Midori entered his room in the 12th division barracks a little bit close to midnight. All the men were already asleep, and his room, which was secluded from the rest of them, had to be at the end of the hall. He flashed stepped him and Midori to his door as to not make too much noise, opened the door, and closed it quietly behind them.  
He kissed Midori on top of the two stacked futons in his room. She kissed him back.  
“Do you forgive me?” Kisuke said through their kisses.  
“For what,” Midori replied still kissing him? He pulled back and looked at her with his head turned to the left.  
“For the other day. Midori, I was out of line. I just did not like the fact that another man was asking you to something you were so excited to go to. I seem to bottle my feelings up when it comes to something like that.”  
Midori placed her hand on his cheek, “I just want us to get on the same page. We know that we love one another. I just get these feelings that I am a burden on you because I am young and not very mature. I feel that you would be better with someone else like Yoruichi rather than me.” She looked down at the futon allowing her thoughts to settle in her brain.  
Kisuke grabbed around Midori and cupped her backside, “I love you for your brain,” he kissed her head, “I love you for your beautiful eyes,” he kissed both of her eye lids, “I love you for your smile,” he kissed her lips, “I love you for your big heart and considerate way of helping others,” he kissed the breast that held her heart, “I don’t see your age, anymore. I don’t think you are a burden to me. I want you and only you, Midori.” He kissed her lips again.  
Tears welled up in Midori’s eyes as they kissed. He was being so gentle with her. He felt her wet cheeks and kissed both of her eye lids again and wiped the tears away with his thumb. He rested his hand on her cheek.  
“Midori, what do you want? Be honest with me.”  
“I want you, Kisuke Urahara. I want you to smile only at me,” she kissed his lips, “I want you to only look at me,” she kissed his eye lids, “I want you to only think of me out of every woman in the Soul Society,” she kissed his forehead, “I want your heart to only want my heart,” she pushed open his kimono and kissed his chest where his heart resided.  
This kiss on his chest sent a fire through Kisuke. He grabbed Midori’s hips and pulled her to him. She placed her legs around him and there on the futon in his room, they made love. When she had fallen asleep in his arms, Kisuke kissed her forehead and watched her sleep.  
“I’m finally at home when I am with you. No man will take you from me. My heart will only think of you, Midori Kyoraku, even if we are separated for a lifetime,” he promised himself as he closed his eyes and fell asleep with her in his arms.  
Midori woke to Kisuke sitting at a small desk near his balcony. She pulled his captain’s jacket around her naked body and embraced him from behind. Her warm body felt good against his back that he moaned in pleasure. He could feel her breasts rub against his back.  
“Good morning, beautiful.” Midori smiled laying her cheek on his back. She curled up there against him for some time just watching the birds fly around outside the balcony window. He continued his work that was in front of him enjoying her presences near him.  
There was a knock at the door, and Midori fled from her comfortable position and dressed herself quickly making sure to straighten the futons in the corner of the room and draping Kisuke’s captain’s jacket back over him. She fixed her hair into a bun on her head, taking the pin she had in it the night before to pin it up. She rubbed the black mascara out from under her eyes. She nodded at Kisuke and stared out the window.  
The door to his room opened and Mayuri was standing there. He looked from Midori to Kisuke and back to Midori.  
“Um, Captain when will you be coming to the Institute today? The guys in the lab need to show you something.”  
“I will be down there in a little bit tell them to wait.” Mayuri bowed and noticed that Midori’s rouge on her lips was smeared.  
“You may want to fix your lip rouge before you leave, Midori.” Midori lifted her hand to her lips and wiped the lip rouge on the arm of her yukata. She seemed flustered.  
When Mayuri closed the door, Midori questioned Kisuke, “I believe Mayuri has realized our relationship. It is good to see that he is unfazed about it.”  
Kisuke looked over at Midori in surprise. He was happy to see that she was alright with people seeing them together. He got up from his desk and went over to her sitting, staring out the window looking mature. He got down on his knees and faced her. He grabbed her face and kissed her.  
“You can wear smeared rouge all day long for all I care. You look beautiful no matter what.” She smiled pushing him back with her kiss.  
“I love you, Kisuke. I did not lie when I told you my feelings. I don’t care if the world knows about us as long as I get to be the only man I love.”  
“It shall be done. You are the only woman I will ever love. I will never hurt you, Midori. This I promise.”  
After their kiss, Kisuke got up and helped Midori up. They exited the 12th division barracks and both went their separate ways. Midori went off toward the 6th division barracks, and Kisuke went off toward the Institute both with smiles on their faces. They were ready to face anything, and if anything dared to get in their way, they would find a way to overcome it.


	7. Getting Too Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> This chapter includes attempted rape. Viewer discretion is advised for anyone under the age of 17.  
> You have been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori spent more time in the 4th division where she was asked to the Lights Festival by Seinosuke Yamada. She wanted Kisuke to go, but he turned her down. Lisa helped dress Midori up in order to make Kisuke jealous. She went to the Lights Festival with Seinosuke, who tried to kiss her, but Kisuke got in between them before it happened. Midori spent more time with Kisuke after the Lights Festival. They both were resolved to face anything that came before them in concerns with their relationship.
> 
> And now.... Chapter Seven: Getting Too Close...

It was a week after the Lights Festival that Midori was on her way from the 4th division barracks to the 6th division barracks to begin work on her reports. She was behind on them and asked Captain Kuchiki if she could take a short break after her Kaido training sessions with Captain Unohana to make sure to file them correctly. He gave her permission to do what needed to be done. He seemed to have full confidence in Midori that she was doing what she was supposed to.  
She walked out to a courtyard that was separated by four stone walls that had openings in all four directions to welcome people into it. She saw that in the middle of the courtyard was a birdbath. She stopped when she saw two beautiful blue jays come to partake from it. She spaced out for a moment as the wind blew a warm breeze against her face.  
Suddenly, a very familiar voice spoke to her, “Well, it seems you are here alone today, Midori.” The voice gave her cold chills as she turned fast to see Sosuke Aizen with an innocent smile across his face.  
“It seems so, Lieutenant Aizen.”  
She positioned herself to have space between them in case she needed to run. Her body was covered in goosebumps. Her stomach was tight and stung from it being tied in knots. She knew that her face probably showed her apprehension of being there alone with him, but she tried to push it deep down as to not raise any suspicion.  
He got closer to her, “I have something important to tell you. Why are you acting so distant?”  
She stopped as her back pushed against the birdbath causing the blue jays to fly off in a panic. She was too panicked, “I just didn’t want to disrespect you and get too close.”  
“Oh, but you seem to not mind Captain Urahara when he gets close to you,” she shot a look at him at the fact he had let Kisuke’s name come out of his mouth in her presence, “I want to thank you actually, Midori. That blueprint that you created,” he grabbed her hands hard and pulled them up to his face, “with these hands is beautifully crafted to fool anyone, but me. I despise that Kisuke has brought you into our deal, but since you obliged him just know that the blueprint in my possession will serve as evidence against you. I don’t mind keeping it a secret if you side with me. Your brilliant mind is out of Kisuke Urahara’s range. He doesn’t know how to use you properly.”  
He got so close to Midori that she could feel his breath on her. She turned around and caught the eye of Kensei who was walking with Mashiro. He saw Midori from across the courtyard. Their eyes met, and she gave him a panicked look. He instantly knew that something was wrong. He raced over to her, ignoring Mashiro’s questions and pulled her out of Aizen’s grasp.  
Aizen stood back and pushed his glasses on his face, “I beg your pardon, Captain Muguruma. I have business with 3rd seat Midori, so if you would….”  
“I don’t believe so. If you have issues with my girl, then you better take it up with me.” He pulled Midori closer to him, hiding her face in his chest.  
Aizen eyed them. He could see that there was something between them, but to say that she was his girl was played a little too well. He did not push the issue, but turned to walk away, “I believe I was misinformed. My apologies.” He left them there.  
Mashiro walked over to Kensei and paused. She could see Midori in his arms and noticed that something was not right. Midori looked up from Kensei’s chest with a look that to him looked like she was going to sexually jump him. Even her words also did not match her meaning, “Kensei, I need you,” he immediately blushed and so did Mashiro, but he did not let her go. Midori continued, “I need to use your back, please.”  
He let her go and sat down beside the birdbath. Midori came around behind him and placed her back against his. The warmth of his body against her cold back caused a shock to her body. She could feel a calm try to overtake her body, but it wasn’t strong enough. Kensei was confused for a moment, but then he felt her shaking and her breath becoming shallow.  
“Midori? Are you alright?” Midori leaned back into him and it was like her body was calming even more, now.  
“I…told….you….before…” Her words were becoming too far a part to completely understand.  
She closed her eyes and then she saw a shadow appear over her, it was Mashiro, “Midori, you look horrible. Are you sick?” She did not answer.  
Kensei searched his memories and remembered that Midori had said something about feeling safe within her uncle’s care. She said she felt that way with Kisuke, and perhaps, she felt safe with him, too.  
It finally dawned on him, “Midori, are you suffering from an anxiety attack?”  
“Anxiety? Are you?” Mashiro sat staring at her.  
Midori opened one eye to look at her and shook her head in agreement. They sat there for some time before Midori was able to form complete sentences, “Thank you, Kensei. I am feeling a little better.”  
“Are you sure? Take all the time you need. I never knew that what you were describing as a safe place was so you wouldn’t feel anxious. How long have you suffered from it, and is it always this bad?”  
Midori paused. She did not know if Kensei was interested in her whole story, but she decided to trust him with her short one, “This is the first bad one I have had since my parents died. I first started having anxiety when I saw the Hollow who crushed my parents to death.”  
Mashiro’s mouth opened showing Midori that she was shocked to hear about such a horrible death. Midori closed her eyes, slid sideways, and pushed the side of her face into Kensei’s back. She did not want to face Mashiro. She never intended to tell them that bit of her past to have them only pity her. She felt how warm his back was against her cold face.  
It was always like that when she was suffering from anxiety, her face and limbs would feel frozen like she was in real danger of dying from frost bite. The comfort from a close friend or relative that would not stare at her like Mashiro was doing would help subside the pain and the feeling of the world swallowing her.  
She was pushed from her thoughts when Kensei questioned her about Aizen, “What did he want with you, Midori?”  
Midori thought hard about it. She did not want to expose the truth to Kensei, it would only cause more people to get involved. She didn’t want to break her promises to both Captain Kuchiki and Kisuke.  
She opted for a small loophole to his question, “Sosuke Aizen is up to something, and he thinks that I can help him. I don’t think you or anyone else should be alone with him.” Midori had stopped sharing Kensei’s warmth.  
He turned to look at her and Mashiro, “What do you mean? Help him with what? What is he up to?”  
Midori did not want to go farther, but she had to or Kensei would not allow her to leave. She resolved to tell him about certain pieces of what was going on that would not incriminate her or Kisuke, “Aizen is up to something bad. When he came in for his exam, he tried to hide the real results of his exam with me. He used his shikai to make an illusion that the exam I had conducted on him was completely normal, but it was far from normal.” Kensei and Mashiro were really interested, now. They listened intently. “There was a black mass inside of him that looked like it was taking over parts of his body, internally.”  
“What would be causing that, and why would he want it hidden?” Mashiro asked. She wanted to know just as much as Kensei and Midori.  
Midori’s thoughts began swirling, and she remembered in Kisuke’s research about Hollows consuming other Hollows in order to gain power and to evolve. She then remembered that the Hogyoku was something that Aizen was interested in, and that it could be used to turn Hollows into Soul Reapers, but it could also be used to turn Soul Reapers into a type of Hollow to increase their power.  
Her ideas played out before her and in her excitement began to say them out loud, “If Hollows can consume their own kind and become strong,” her words were beginning to shock Kensei, but he listened, “and evolve them into a higher being, I wonder if Aizen has been consuming Hollows to change his power and become a higher being? Could he be breaking a crucial law in the Soul Society to seek power?” She placed her hand on her chin, her heart was still beating fast. The anxiety had not completely disappeared.  
Kensei watched her, “Midori, if what you say is true, then we need to inform Commander Yamamoto.”  
“No, we do not have proof. If we do not have proof of what he is doing, he will just lie his way out of it, and we will be suspicious and under his radar to mess with.”  
Kensei shook his head in agreement, “I see, but Midori, you are already under his radar, why?”  
Without a thought she answered him, “I work with Captain Urahara quite often, and perhaps, he thinks I would be helpful in his scheme. That would be why he asked me to join him.”  
“How would we get proof?” Mashiro asked.  
The word proof that Mashiro said caused Midori’s brain to go back to what Aizen said, …since you obliged him just know that the blueprint will serve as evidence against you. Midori stood at once.  
Kensei and Mashiro looked up at her, “I have to go. I need to get back to the Institute. Thank you so much for your help today, Kensei.” She bowed to him.  
He reached up and grabbed her hand, “Midori be careful. If he comes near you again, make sure to protect yourself. Seigi should be the first to respond.” Midori shook her head in agreement and walked away from them.  
Kensei stared at her as she left from the birdbath, “You like her, don’t you, Captain?”  
Mashiro’s voice caused him to get annoyed, “No! Let’s go!”  
Midori walked at a normal pace. She did not want to give off the vibe that she was up to something. Her mind was on telling Kisuke about her realization that Aizen had been consuming Hollows and about their need to get that blueprint back that she did not hear Seigi calling to her from her Zanpakuto.  
After the third call, she noticed it, but only because he was screaming at this point inside of her mind, “Midori! Someone is following you. Don’t act alerted. You need to walk fast, but do not run.”  
Midori’s heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to burst out of her ears. She walked fast, making sure that she was going straight to the Institute. She could feel her anxiety was coming back, and her spiritual pressure began to leak out of her, “Calm down, he will notice your fear.” Seigi’s words only caused her to feel more scared.  
She saw the door to the Institute in her sights and began to run. She couldn’t stop. Her mind was telling her that she was going to die if she was caught. The flashes of Aizen being near her and then the Hollow who crushed her parents entered into her mind like a video playing on repeat. She grabbed the handle to the Institute and jerked it open. Running inside she pulled it quickly closed and fell to the ground, “KISUKE!”  
Kisuke was working in the back of the room with Mayuri, and when he heard her blood curdling scream, he turned quickly. Midori was convulsing on the ground holding herself. He rushed to her with Mayuri in tow. He was worried too.  
“He’s going to get me. He’s going to get...” These words escaped her in murmurs, but as Kisuke covered her with his arms, pulling her into his chest, he heard her. It shocked him.  
“Who was going to get her?” he asked himself worried about her condition.  
He rubbed her back as tears fell from her eyes. “Midori? What is going on,” Kisuke whispered to her. She couldn’t do anything but sit there quivering.  
Mayuri watched her, “She is suffering from an anxiety attack. Did someone hurt you, Midori?”  
She tried to talk, but all that came out was jumbled words that they couldn’t understand. Kisuke scooped her up and took her to his desk. He sat down and placed her on his lap, rubbing her back.  
He looked at Mayuri, “You can continue to work or leave for the day. She needs me.” Mayuri understood and went back to work.  
He would occasionally look over to them to see Kisuke trying to talk to her, but she still hadn’t realized that he was there. It was like she was in a trance. She wasn’t here in this world. Her mind was not conscious of thought.  
She shook hard in Kisuke’s arms which caused him to embrace her more. He had never seen her like this.  
“What could have caused her to act like this? Did Aizen try to….?” his thoughts were interrupted by Midori’s soft low voice, “Kisuke.”  
He shook his head, rubbing her back with this hand, “I’m here, Midori. I’m here.”  
She began taking in deep breaths. She self-soothed herself after a few more breaths until she fell asleep from the exhaustion of her anxiety attack. Kisuke stayed with her in his arms. He rubbed her back and tried to sooth her more as she slept.  
It was getting late, and Mayuri wanted to retire to his room, “Captain, I will be leaving now. I would suggest that we figure out a way to help, Midori. In all my years, I have never seen a case of anxiety like that of hers. She must be hiding something deep down for it to have had that much effect on her at once.”  
“It would seem that is the case, Mayuri. Thank you for your time today.” He left them in the captain’s chair.  
Kisuke realized that Midori was completely passed out. He picked her up and place her in his chair. He wanted to get a little bit of work done while she was sleeping. He walked into the back to grab something for his experiment, and when he came back, he heard a man’s voice. He was alerted to it, but when he looked over at Midori’s chair, it was a Zanpakuto spirit. His green aura gave it away. He was kneeled down in front of Midori, who had woken up.  
He had one hand on her leg and was looking up at her with concerned eyes, “Midori, are you okay?” she shook her head, “I know I shouldn’t have told you about being followed, but I wanted you to be aware in case they grabbed you. I am sorry to have caused you this anxiety. We are still not sure if it was Aizen.”  
Midori’s voice was soft, emotionless, but loud enough for Kisuke, “I know it was him, Seigi. I could feel his breath on my neck, it was the same breath I felt earlier at the central courtyard.”  
“I know that you are hurting, Midori, but I am here for you. I know I am just a Zanpakuto spirit, but I have always been here for you. You are my master, my mistress, and my lady.” He reached for her face. His words pushed past her anxiety. She could feel the warmth of his touch. Tears landed on his hand.  
Kisuke turned placing his back against the wall, making sure they couldn’t see him. He hated that he couldn’t get Midori to come back to him, not like her Zanpakuto spirit could. He wanted to help her so much, but he felt like a failure.  
He listened closer to their conversation, “I fear, I’ve failed Kisuke.”  
“Why do you say that Midori?”  
“Aizen knows I forged the blueprint. He wants me to leave Kisuke and work for him, but I fear there is more to his intentions. I fear that if I don’t do what he says he will hurt, Kisuke. He will tear down the happiness that I have with him. He will take all the light from me and leave me in the dark. He will do the same thing that Hollow did to me all those years ago. He will kill my soul.”  
Kisuke didn’t realize how much Midori worried about all of this. He didn’t realize that when she asked him to stop working on his Hogyoku that she was only doing it for his wellbeing. He didn’t realize that Midori loved him that much. She loved him with her whole being and not just her heart. He was her day sky and she was the stars at night protecting him from all the bad that he was creating from this one experiment. He raced from his position against the wall, the item for his experiment fell to the floor, and he grabbed Midori from his chair and embraced her. His whole being flooded over her.  
Seigi stood at attention and watched as Kisuke pushed Midori’s face into his chest so that she couldn’t see the tears falling down his face. Seigi understood his feelings. He understood why Kisuke felt so protective over Midori, and it was the same reason that he wanted to protect her. Seigi returned to her Zanpakuto to leave them alone.  
“Midori, I will never let Aizen hurt you, I swear. Please, lean on me and let me protect you. Let me take the burdens you cannot handle and let me handle them. I want all the anxiety you feel so that you do not have to carry it. Please, let me do this for you.”  
Midori finally pulled her head away from his chest and noticed the tears falling from his eyes. The emotion that was so lost from her earlier returned instantly. and she kissed him, letting his wet cheeks press against hers. She loved him. She loved him more than any other man. She wanted to protect him, and she wanted to protect their happiness. She needed to tell him so much about what she discovered today, but all she wanted to do is be wrapped in his arms.  
Midori slept with Kisuke at the Institute. She needed to have him near her so that she knew he was safe. She also feared being by herself at this moment. She was fearful that Aizen was waiting for her, and he would take her away, leaving Kisuke to take the blame for the wrong doings that he wanted to unleash on the Soul Society. She couldn’t allow for him to do that.

*****  
Several days passed since Midori’s episode. She had spent her time writing reports that she promised her Captain she would finish. She finished in time to go see Kisuke for a little bit and return before night. She did not want to travel alone at night. She had told Kisuke she had Seigi, and he would protect her, but she feared that Aizen would send others to collect her. She walked into the Institute with her old demeanor restored. Kisuke and Mayuri were happy to see her. She went to helping them with the Hogyoku. Midori knew this device was what Aizen wanted. She knew it was the reason she had so much anxiety about what would happen when it was finished, but she wanted to help Kisuke finish it because it was something, he was stubborn about letting go, so she caved in. She wanted to be as much help as possible because it was her way of showing him that she loved him.  
Her thoughts started to race as she looked down at the blueprint of the Hogyoku. She hadn’t really made it clear to Kisuke what it could really do.  
She turned to him and Mayuri, “Kisuke, I need to tell you something. I really came to the conclusion about a lot a few days ago, but my episode caused me to not be able to explain them to you.”  
“Go ahead, tell me,” Kisuke said without looking at her. He always heard her even when he was busy.  
“The Hogyoku can turn Hollows into Soul Reapers, we all know this; however, the same is true about turning Soul Reapers into Hollows, or at least Hollowfied versions of a Soul Reaper. I was thinking about this the other day and figured out what was going on in Aizen’s body.”  
Mayuri had stopped his work to stare at Midori. He wanted to make sure he understood her logic. He knew she was more than just a pretty face; she had brains.  
“Aizen’s body is changing from the inside because he has been ingesting Hollows. It is the only thing that I came up with to explain the black mass in his body, covering his organs. He wants the Hogyoku to finish the transformation on himself. He wants to create a powerful being that can take over the Soul Society. I saw it in his face the other day. He is mad. He knows that I can deduce these things, and this is why he wants me to join his side.” Kisuke had stopped fiddling with things and walked to her. He grabbed her head and placed in into his chest.  
“Aizen is a fool, if he thinks that the Hogyoku will help transform him into an ultimate being--”  
Midori interjected, “I don’t think so much as foolish as ambitious. You have to think that there is more to him hassling you over an invention that allows Hollows to change into Soul Reapers. There has to be higher forms of Hollow than the Vaste Lorde. I wonder if he is trying to create an army and that is why he wants it?”  
Midori starred down at the blueprint as she thought. She could connect the dots but didn’t really see the motive.  
“What was Aizen trying to achieve? What was his real motive for wanting destruction of the Soul Society?” her mind filled with thoughts of Aizen’s plans, but she never could conjure the real reason.  
“My, you really are a girl beyond her years with knowledge. Captain, you were right about that. For Midori to deduce these circumstances means she is thinking one step ahead of Lieutenant Aizen. Could this be why he wants her on his side?”  
Kisuke looked at Mayuri and shook his head in agreement, “But he cannot have her,” he pulled her lips to his, “she is too pure to be within the grasp of his dirty hands, besides Midori is my sweet girl.”  
Midori felt a sink in her gut. She felt it for the first time. Kisuke said that like she was a tool. She pushed him away from her.  
“Midori, what is wrong?”  
She looked at him. Her mind was racing with things that he meant by his words, but she felt like he was using her as a tool.  
She pushed her thoughts from her mind and came back to something more important, “Aizen knows I wrote the blueprint. He said that he will drag me down with it and incriminate me for it. We have to get it back.”  
Kisuke was taken aback with her sudden change in disposition. He had said something to upset her, but what did he say?  
“I don’t think he will try to incriminate you, Midori. Taking that blueprint to Commander Yamamoto will only serve to prove that he is guilty of something. They will ask where he came by it, and why he came by it. Aizen is cunning, but he is not that slick to think of something like that on a whim.”  
It still bothered Midori even though Kisuke told her not to worry about it. Kisuke continued to work with Mayuri and did not notice Midori leave, but Mayuri did.  
“It seems that you really upset Midori with what you said, Captain.”  
“Huh?” he looked around to see that Midori had disappeared, “It seems so, huh? I wonder what it was that I said?”  
“It couldn’t possibly be you stating claim to her like she was a tool, now could it?”  
“A tool? Midori is not a tool.”  
“Well, when you said that Aizen couldn’t have her because she was your ‘sweet girl’ probably made her feel like she had already chosen a side for the battle ahead, and that she wouldn’t switch sides because she had pledge her loyalty to you.”  
“Do you really think she thought that?”  
Mayuri rolled his eyes, “Here I thought you were on point with everything, Captain. I bet you didn’t even think Midori would confront Aizen on her own to get a blueprint in her handwriting back, either.”  
Kisuke looked up at him. His eyes were wide and full of fear. He knew what Midori was capable of. He thought back to when she was talking to Seigi. She would sacrifice herself to protect him. He knew that but would she place herself in harm’s way after feeling so much anxiety about him the other day?  
He did not hesitate after that, but ran out the door and after Midori, “Captain isn’t so stupid after all, slow, but not stupid. Good.”

*****  
Midori walked toward the 5th division barracks. She talked it over with Seigi in her head about the plan, “I will distract Aizen while you go in and get that blueprint. It should be easy for you to find. When you have it, I want you to leave with it and meet me back at the central courtyard. Do not worry about me, I will be fine.”  
“But Midori, I don’t want you to place yourself in danger and being with him will cause you to be in danger.”  
“I will be fine, Seigi. Please, don’t make me say it.”  
“Well, you will have to or it’s a no deal.”  
“Fine! It’s an order. Now follow them.”  
Midori walked through the gate to the 5th division, and there was Captain Shinji. He was making rounds in the central area of the barracks but happened to be at the entrance as she entered.  
She bowed to him, “Midori, why are you here today? Have you come to examine one of our members?”  
“No, Captain Hirako. I actually have business with Lieutenant Aizen. Do you know where I can find him?”  
“He is over near his room. It is over there.” She followed his finger and saw the messy brown hair of Sosuke Aizen.  
“Thank you.”  
She marched over to him. Her chest filled with confidence. He noticed her instantly and pushed a vile smirk on his face.  
“So, you have come to answer your call?”  
“I have come to clear up some things with you.”  
“I see, have a seat.” He patted the deck beside of him.  
She sat a distance away from him, “I want you to know that the blueprint that you have is not fake. You may think it is, but it is not. I have lied to Kisuke Urahara for some time, and the actual blueprint that you have is the correct formula with the correct power input for the device. There was only one point I faked to give him the illusion that I was helping him and not you. I have always trusted you, Lieutenant Aizen. I just needed to get close enough to Kisuke in order to get all the information from him that he had. I was going to bring it to you, immediately.”  
Aizen watched her intently. He wanted her brain not her loyalty, but if she was going to offer it to him, he would take it as well. He rose from his seated position, and she did as well. Her head hated her for saying those hideous words. It wanted to scream at her and punch her in the face. Aizen was the enemy, but she needed to get that blueprint back before Aizen used it to take from her the happiness she had.  
He stared at her and chuckled, “You really think I would fall for that, Midori. You were scared the other day when I was so close to you. Loyalty you say. What kind of loyalty is there in that kind of fear? But I suppose in order to have power you have to instill a little fear. I want you to prove to me that you are loyal, or from this day farther, you will be the intent of my attack, and I will make sure you are tortured before your death.”  
Midori’s eyes widen at his words, but she had to prove it to him. Her loyalty. She couldn’t do anything to hurt Kisuke. She couldn’t help this murderous man. She saw him turn around and, in that instant, she grabbed the collar of his uniform and pulled him down to her level planting her lips on his. She wanted to puke right inside of her mouth and spit it at him, but she had to keep him out there long enough to let Seigi do his job.  
Aizen was surprised at Midori’s forwardness, but he invited it. He grabbed Midori like Kisuke grabbed her around her waist and pulled her into his room. No one saw them enter. Midori did not see Seigi. She figured that he had found what he was looking for and left, but what was she going to do now.  
She pulled back from Aizen who had her cornered in his room. The smile on his face caused fear to rise in Midori, but she kept her composure. She had to do what she had to do in order to keep her happiness with Kisuke. She fell down to her knees.  
He joined her on his knees and began pulling at her uniform, “I enjoy this type of loyalty, Midori. Such a good girl.”  
She hated it. He kissed her neck, and it stung. Her betrayal burned her. He ripped the top of her uniform to expose her breasts.  
She had tears running down her cheeks, “No turning back now, my sweet little girl.” Those words burned into her. Kisuke called her those words without the little in them.  
“Stop,” Her words struck him, “I can’t do this.”  
He did not listen to her. He pushed her down onto his futon. Midori struggled with him feeling his disgusting hands all over her body.  
She pushed him and began her pleas, “Aizen, don’t do this! Aizen, get off of me! Let me go!”  
Shinji was walking by Aizen’s room and heard the screams coming from within. He didn’t see Midori leave. He realized that she was inside of Aizen’s room. Midori looked fast around the room and spotted the blueprints hidden under an illusion. She needed to grab those, but Aizen was too busy trying to force himself on her.  
Her mind flipped back to trying to resist. “Aizen, STOP!”  
Aizen’s door slid open. Shinji saw Midori’s face and knew that Aizen was trying to have his way with her. Aizen stopped when he saw the door open. He got up and straightened his uniform. Shinji stared at him disgusted by what he was doing, and, in that moment, Midori gathered her uniform, grabbed the blueprint, and flashed stepped past Shinji. He slowly watched her step seeing the hurt and pain in her eyes.  
He turned fast to Aizen, “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?”  
Aizen just huffed and walked past him in a stocky prideful way, “Just business.”  
Shinji grabbed his collar and slammed him into the wall outside of his room, “We do not do that here! If I hear about this again, you will find yourself in the underground prison, Sosuke Aizen.”  
“If you are so ahead of me like you say, you would have seen her being in danger before she came here. So, in reality, you should be the one blame, but thank you for overlooking this. What I got from her will last me a lifetime.”  
Shinji punched Sosuke in the gut and watched him fall to the ground, “Take that as a warning that I will not put up with your mouth or the shit you pull, Sosuke.” 

*****  
Midori raced out of the 5th division. She was happy that Shinji was there. She wouldn’t have been able to stop him otherwise. She let the wind dry her tears as she rushed past several members of squad 5. They all saw a black and white blur as she ran past. That was something about Midori. She was fast and her training with her uncle a while back helped her increase her stamina and her flash step speed. Before she got out of the sight of the 5th division, she spotted Seigi and Kisuke in the central courtyard.  
“Where did she go?”  
“I cannot tell you, Kisuke Urahara. My master will be upset with me if I told you.”  
Midori stopped and walked toward them. Seigi and Kisuke stood in shock at what condition Midori’s uniform was in. Her eyes were hazed over, and she was grasping something. Kisuke knew exactly what it was but did not care about it. Seigi was happy that she was alright, but he was worried as to why she looked the way she did. Midori seeing Kisuke fell to her knees still grasping the blueprint.  
He rushed to her, “Midori, what happened? What did you do?”  
“I got the blueprint. I got…”  
The exhaustion from everything that had just happened rushed through her body all at once. She fell into his arms and passed out. Seigi returned to her Zanpakuto as Kisuke carried Midori to the healing spring again in Yoruichi’s underground training base. He examined Midori when they got there. He saw there all over the top part of her body were what looked like kissing marks. There was also dried blood on the right side of her face from a gash on her forehead. He noticed that her uniform was ripped down the front as if someone was forcing themselves on her.  
He grabbed her into his arms and squeezed her. He did not want to let her go. She had placed herself in danger for a stupid blueprint that he had made her create. A blueprint that he wanted to trick Aizen with. He knew that he had dragged Midori in between their fight, and Mayuri was right. He knew that she thought he only saw her as a tool, but he really didn’t. He loved Midori. He cherished her and now he was going to kill Sosuke Aizen because of what he did to her.  
He placed Midori in the hut on the futon inside and started a fire for her.  
He went to walk out the door to go after Aizen when her words came to him, “Kisuke, please stay.” He turned back around to her. Her eyes were fully focused, and she wore a sloppy smile.  
“I will kill Aizen for hurting you!”  
“He can’t hurt us anymore, Kisuke. I am so happy.”  
Her words hit him. They hit his heart so hard that he felt the breath being knocked out of him. He walked over to her and fell to his knees beside her. She got up and placed him in a hug.  
“I only want to protect our happiness. He did not get far with me. Shinji helped me escape. I am so sorry, Kisuke, but I had to get that blueprint. I had to make sure that we could stay together. I know you didn’t mean to insinuate that I was a tool.” She rubbed his back and placed her head against his.  
He was resting his head against her bare chest, and all he could think about was the places that Aizen had violated her. He began replacing each kiss mark with him own.  
“He cannot have you. You belong to me.”  
She felt that all the feelings she had about Aizen being all over her began to disappear a little at a time as Kisuke kissed her all over her chest.  
He pulled her into his arms, “Midori, you are not allowed to act on your own from now on. I will not allow you to place yourself in danger, do you understand me.”  
“Yes, my captain.” Her words activated a desire in Kisuke.  
He began kissing her again, “Midori do you…”  
“Please Kisuke, erase the horrible memories with the good ones.”  
He made love to her inside that hut. She fell asleep in his arms after. He played with her hair over and over again, twirling it in between his fingers. He thought about how she had done something reckless and gotten herself in trouble.  
“What if Shinji hadn’t been there to save her? What would I be doing right now if Midori hadn’t stopped me?” he questioned all the unknown at this point.  
He knew he would have lost his position. He would have spent the rest of his life in the underground prison. He would have taken her happiness away. He kissed her head.  
“Midori, I will never allow anyone to take our happiness away. I vow this to you,” he whispered to her as he fell asleep. 

*****  
The next morning, Midori woke to a cold bed. She looked over toward a crackling fire to see Kisuke burning the blueprint. She looked up at him and saw that he was fighting with something.  
The results shown on his face, “Kisuke, what are you thinking about?”  
He looked over to her, “Good morning, my sweet girl.” Midori’s face scrunched up in disgust at hearing those words.  
He turned his head sideways, “What is wrong? You don’t like that nickname, anymore?” She gone quiet and got out of bed noticing that she had on a mended uniform.  
“Did you fix this?”  
“The best I could.” She hugged him.  
“I have loved that nickname for so long, but ever since yesterday, I can’t hear it without seeing Aizen in my head. I don’t know how he knew you called me that, but he called me the same thing, the only difference he called me “my sweet little girl.” It made my skin crawl.”  
Kisuke’s eyes stared at the fire. His face filled with anger at her words. He was furious that his nickname for her was even hurting her.  
“Midori, I think you should stay away from the Institute for a while. I think you should focus on other things. I will still meet with you from time to time, but your time at the Institute is over.”  
“What?! Why?”  
“I want to keep you safe. I want you to be happy and being at the Institute with me will only cause you more pain. Even a silly nickname now carries so much hurt for you. I cannot bare it if he hurt you again. I love you so much, that sometimes the best thing to do is to let you go.”  
“I don’t accept that. I won’t accept this act of gentlemanly affection that you thought would fly with me,” she got up making sure he was looking at her, “I love you. You are the only man I want. The only one who can keep me. I will stand by your side. I don’t care if we become criminals to the Seireitei, I will stand in judgement with you. I will not accept your request for me to leave. I will come every day to the Institute, and if you won’t let me in, I won’t let you leave. I have been captivated by you, Kisuke Urahara, and you cannot get rid of me that easy.”  
She had tears stinging her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she was hearing him expel what they had. To just throw it away. She was hurt. She was watching her happiness disappear. Kisuke looked at her. He was hurt, too. He wanted to keep her safe, but how could he? She was right. He had dug a hole and he was pulling her into it with him. He had thought of only himself. He had always thought of only himself. Did he want the Hogyoku more than he wanted her? He didn’t see the future with her that she saw.  
He knew that he loved her like no other woman, but he also knew that he never fit into her world. Shunsui was right that he should have let her go a long time ago. A one-night fling would have been easy to let go, but now years later, she was all he thought about. She caused him to abandon his work to be with her. She caused him to worry about someone else. She was the ripple that caused him to change course. He could feel it in his mind that ripple got bigger every day she was around. He had to stop it. He had to close himself off to her. He had to separate his want of her for his own peace of mind. He loved her too much.  
He reached for her hand that now laid limp at her side. His fingertips were all that touched her hand before she embraced him in a hug.  
“I know you are struggling with this. I know I am a burden to you. Just let me love you, even if you cannot love me back. Let me love you enough so that one day you can return my love.”  
“Midori, I do love you. Don’t you understand. I have loved you for so long. I just don’t want you to fall into this pit that I have dug because I was foolish, and I didn’t listen to you.”  
“I want to fall. I want to fall with you and only you. You could push me in and cover me up, as long as I get to be with you where our happiness will be intact. Don’t take our happiness away because you are afraid of the future. Please take my hand and embrace the future with me. Please, Kisuke.”  
She kissed his lips. He returned her kiss. He wished all of his love could flow from his body into hers so that she could feel how much he loved her.  
“You have never been a burden to me, Midori. You have been my staff through the storm. Please, forgive me, but I just can’t stop loving you.” He kissed her again.  
Midori was enveloped in his emotions that her head swam. She could feel his love for her as he kissed her. He desired so much to protect her, but he also desired to love and be loved by her and only her.


	8. Because of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori underwent several anxiety attacks while encountering Aizen. She tried to convince Kisuke that they needed to get the blueprint back from Aizen, but he did not agree. She went alone to confront him. She tried to hold his attention with a simple kiss, but it went farther than that. Midori struggled with him until she was saved with Shinji. She saw the blueprint and escaped, but only barely. She found Seigi and Kisuke before she collapsed from all the anxiety her body endured.
> 
> And now the last chapter of the Collapsing Arc....Chapter Eight: Because of You...

Nothing seemed to change over the past five years, except for Midori and Kisuke’s relationship became more concrete. They respected each other and helped each other. Kisuke talked Yoruichi into training Midori in Hakudo, hand to hand combat, to increase her fighting skills. He wanted Midori to be able to protect herself in case Aizen was to try something again. Though reluctant to bend to his wishes, she decided to train Midori.  
Over the year that Midori trained with her, secretly without anyone knowing, Midori and Yoruichi started to like each other and become somewhat close. Yoruichi realized how much that Kisuke was enamored with her, and Midori started to grow on her. Midori was tired everyday she went back to the 6th division barracks to bed. She didn’t get to sword dance anymore because of her training, and she was so tired that she didn’t get to see Kisuke other than when he visited during her training. Yoruichi saw how he kissed her and watched her and knew that he had to be completely in love with her.  
Midori would use the spring at the underground training area to replenish her body from fatigue. She heard from Yoruichi the story about the spring and how Kisuke had made it many years before they became part of the 13 Court Guard Squad. She enjoyed all the new tales she heard about Kisuke from Yoruichi. She would always tease him about them when she saw him. He would always give Yoruichi a sharp look to which she was unfazed.  
During the course of the five years that past since her incident with Aizen, he had not tried anything around her. She had always saw him from a distance burning his eyes into her, but she always ignored him and continued on her regular duties. When Captain Kuchiki would ask her to visit the 5th division, she would stick to Shinji. He would make sure she never left his sight. The look on her face the day he saved her from Aizen was still etched into his mind. All he could do was help her with her duties when she came to his barracks. He knew that she was someone that Aizen wanted to get his hands on, and if he could stand in his way, he would do exactly that.

*****  
There was intel being filtered into the 6th division about something sinister about to happen in the Soul Society.  
Midori was in Captain Kuchiki’s office when another one of the 6th division’s “spies” came to report, “Captain Kuchiki, there is talk about something beginning in the Soul Society. It seems that many of the squads sent out to the Rukon districts have all be cut down, and the captains and lieutenants have disappeared. This has happened to the 7th division captain, Love Aikawa, 3rd division captain, Rojuro Otoribashi, and lately they have sent out 5th division captain, Shinji Hirako, and 9th division captain and lieutenant, Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna.”  
Midori’s eyes became wide. All of these people mentioned were people she had been in contact with over the past 8 years. All of them had been in some way helpful toward her.  
Midori started piecing things together, “Aizen has completed the Hogyoku!”  
She needed to tell Kisuke. She needed to help him stop Aizen.  
“What did Aizen do to the captains and lieutenants? Why are they missing?” she worried herself as she stood in silence.  
When the “spy” left, Midori stood in front of Captain Kuchiki, “Captain Kuchiki, sir. I ask that you allow me to help in finding these captains and lieutenants and bringing them back to the Seireitei.”  
“I don’t believe you can do much good, Midori. Although you have had training, I don’t believe that your help is necessary, just stay here and wait for others to bring them back.” She stood there, Lieutenant Sojun stared at her. He could see Midori’s determination.  
With her fists balled up, she continued, “Captain Kuchiki, this is my fault. Please, allow for me to fix this mess.”  
“Midori, how is this your fault,” Sojun asked her?  
She looked at him, “I have not been completely honest with you.”  
Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Sojun gasped in surprise, but Captain Kuchiki was furious, “What do you mean by this Midori Kyoraku?!”  
She flinched at his heated question. She did not want to incriminate Kisuke, but she had already incriminated herself.  
She had to disclose Aizen before he continued to hurt people, “Sosuke Aizen has created a device called the Hogyoku to turn Soul Reapers into advanced versions of Hollows that can have powers above that of a Vaste Lorde.”  
“How do you know this?”  
She breathed in deep and stared at Captain Kuchiki, “It has been something that has been a constant fight for the past 8 years at the Institute that someone is getting intel into experiments and using them to create the Hogyoku. I may or may not have given information in these experiments that allowed for their completion. It started a year after you sent me to the Institute and is still on going. I know for a fact that it is Sosuke Aizen because he has approached me on many occasions to ask me to side with him in his plan. He never gave me details on his plan, I just put two and two together to understand his actions. The missing captains and lieutenants have to be subjects that he has chosen to use the Hogyoku on.”  
“Midori, do you know that what you are saying is treason? Do you know that you have incriminated yourself with this information? Did you think by telling me this information that I would allow you to leave the barracks to find Aizen?”  
Midori had tears in her eyes, “I have been with this division for 8 years. I have been loyal to you, and I would never go against the Soul Society. I would never ask for you to entrust me to go and retrieve the captains and the lieutenants just to meet up with Sosuke Aizen who I hate and loathe with every fiber of my being.”  
“Midori, there is no way that you have done what you said, who are you trying to protect?” Sojun came closer to Midori and grabbed her wrist.  
She looked at him. She cannot tell them about Kisuke being the original creator of the Hogyoku, but she could see that they did believe her when she told them about Aizen. Her heart began to beat faster as she searched for the answer she needed to give.  
She broke in that instance, “I know you will think that I am a foolish girl, and you may be right, but my knowledge on the Hogyoku first spurred from seeing the design and construction at the Institute. I helped in the creation of it in hopes of helping Kisuke Urahara complete his aspirations of a new experiment to better the Soul Society. I gave him the corrected calculations for the power core and the shape of it.”  
“Midori, what have you done? You are right in thinking that you are a foolish girl to allow yourself to have anything to do with something like that. You should have reported it the moment you saw it. You have placed yourself in a pinch, you do understand that?” Captain Kuchiki was disappointed in Midori. She had let her feelings interrupt her duties as a 3rd seat in the 6th division.  
She looked at him, “You mean to tell me that you would not have done the same for someone you love? You would not try your best to do all you could to help the one you love?”  
“I don’t want to hear anything about your feelings. Midori, you helped someone to break the laws of the Seireitei.”  
Captain Kuchiki was interrupted by Sojun, “Father, do we need to inform Commander Yamamoto?”  
“No, this will only incriminate all of us who are a part of the 6th division. We will be discreet about this. I am glad that Midori did not file reports about this because the evidence will not be traced back to us,” he was treating Midori like a complete outsider at this point. She thought the 6th division was her new home, but she was wrong. No place was safe for her. No place would ever be safe for her after today, “Midori will stay in her room until we get to the bottom of this. Have several of our members to stay on alert around her room. Midori, you are here by confined to your room until we get to the bottom of this,” he commanded her.  
She hated the look on his face as she was escorted to her room by Sojun, “Sojun…”  
“Midori, I am sorry, but address me as Lieutenant Kuchiki from this moment forward. I am sorry to say but you are now a traitor to the Soul Society.”  
Midori had a tear fall down her face. She did not know that her interactions with Kisuke would cause her to become a traitor of her home. She didn’t want that.  
Sojun dropped her off at her room in the barracks.  
“Am I to become a prisoner of the 6th division for the rest of my life?”  
Sojun looked at Midori while standing at her door, “I am afraid so until all of this is settled. I am sorry.”  
He gave her a sad look before slamming the door closed behind him. It was now her prison. He placed four members of the 6th division at her door to watch her. 

*****  
The silence in the barracks made her feel that Captain Kuchiki may have sent the 6th division out to look for the captain’s and the lieutenants.  
She could hear the guards in front of her room talking, “They have come back to say that Kisuke Urahara has left the Institute.”  
“I guess he knew he needed to leave since all this chaos started.”  
“Man, I feel bad for Miss Midori. She had to have been used by him to have her help him. She would have never gone against the Soul Society if he hadn’t used her.”  
“I wouldn’t feel bad for a traitor that would sleep with a man who intended to betray the Soul Society.”  
She couldn’t take them belittling Kisuke, “You idiots are fools! Kisuke Urahara was trying to stop the war between the Soul Reapers and the Hollows! Sosuke Aizen was the one who is a TRAITOR!”  
“Shut up, traitor!” His words caused Midori to kick the door to her room. They had it chained because she could hear it rattle.  
“If this door wasn’t chained, I’d let you say that to my face!”  
She began pacing the floor. She didn’t believe how fast people could turn on you without understanding your side. Midori came to the realization that she needed to get out. She went to her balcony and looked down. It would hurt to jump, but maybe her flash step would help with her landing.  
She quietly summoned her Soul Image twin and instructed them to sit there and pretend to be her. The Soul Image shook its head in agreement. Midori jumped from her balcony and flashed stepped halfway through it to the ground. She did not land on her feet but rolled onto her side. She had made it.  
“I have to find Kisuke!” her mind recalled her intentions of escaping.  
Midori ran through the woods that was connected to the 6th division barracks. She hopped the stone wall and went out into the Rukon Districts.  
She ran until she saw white hair that she knew, it was Kensei, “Kensei?”  
He turned around with a white hockey mask over his face and blacked out eyes with golden orbs. He stared at her. Midori was horrified at the man before her. He was not the same Kensei that she knew. He was different. His eyes showed her his intent to kill her. He raced after Midori, who flashed stepped out of the way. She ran past him to give her some room and pulled her Zanpakuto out of its sheath. She clashed swords with him.  
“What is wrong with you? Is this what Aizen did to you?” He pushed her back and swiped his sword at her.  
His speed was something she could not keep up with as he sliced at her thigh leaving a cut. She crinkled her face but stood her ground. She felt the sting of the cut on her thigh as she tried to focus her weight on her left leg. She did not want to fight him, but if she had to, she would.  
They stopped for a moment. It was like he knew she wanted to plea with him, “Please, Kensei, don’t make me do this?”  
He roared at her and a screeching noise was expelled from his mouth. Midori covered her ears. The intensity of his roar caused her eardrums to vibrate under the pressure that bore down on her. She looked up at him. She could not believe that this was her friend. The once grumpy, but cheerful at times, Kensei was now a blood thirsty monster. He had turned into a Hollow, or a Soul Reaper under Hollowfication.  
Suddenly, Midori felt another presence. She saw them coming toward her right side. She saw the green hair protruding from the white mask over its face and knew it was Mashiro. She quickly summoned her shikai and held her axes up to reflect both Kensei and Mashiro’s blades. She felt pinned between a rock and a hard place. She held her hands in that awkward position with sweat rolling down her arms and face. She knew that she could not hold it anymore. She had to get away from them, or they would kill her. Nothing she did would reach them. She flashed stepped out from amongst them and landed in a tree. The Hollowfied Kensei and Mashiro looked around trying to pinpoint her location, but every way they looked, they could not find her.  
“They aren’t fully aware of their senses, or they would have spotted me, instantly,” she calmed herself with her thoughts. Midori immediately masked her spiritual pressure and watched them. They went off in another direction as if hunting something.  
“What did I help create? What is Aizen doing to them?” she pondered.  
A twinge of pain pushed out of her left thigh. She saw the cut in her uniform and immediately used her Kaido to heal the cut on it. She did not want it getting in the way of her finding Kisuke. She looked around in the tree, trying to figure out which way to go. She needed to help him. She was responsible for this happening. She could not believe that after all these years that Aizen was still plotting. She thought for so long that since she got that blueprint from him that everything would be fine, but she was wrong. She could feel the world around her becoming lonely. She was losing everything like she knew she would. She felt the urge to go west and began jumping from tree to tree so that other experimented Soul Reapers would not find her. She wanted to make sure that if nothing else came of this night, that at least Aizen would be stopped.  
Midori continued jumping from tree to tree in search for Kisuke. She noticed a clearing and jumped down. She looked around to see if there was any sign of his spiritual pressure, but there was nothing. She turned her back to the clearing to begin her search again when behind her, a large presence appeared. Before she could react, someone grasped at her neck slamming her into a tree, it was Sosuke Aizen.  
“Midori, it is lovely to see you here this evening. Have you come to join your friends? Or have you come to join me?”  
She spoke through the choke he had on her throat, “In your dreams.”  
He leaned forward and took her scent in. He loved seeing the fear in her eyes that had just appeared as he pinned her down. He leaned in closer to her and licked the side of her face like he was a beast. She flinched at his touch. A series of thoughts entered her mind. Most of them were of him trying to force himself on her again. She wanted to get away. She wished she was stronger to fight him off of her, but she had not strength in her body. Her anxiety caused her to be frozen in that moment.  
“Have you come to the conclusion, yet? Have you noticed all the captains and lieutenants I have targeted? They all helped you or knew you didn’t they, especially that fool Shinji. He was a fool to stand in my way that day. You are mine, and you always will be.”  
Midori’s eyes broaden when she heard his words. She knew it was her fault in her mind but was it really all because of her? She had talked to every one of the people he had targeted. She had become close with many of them. Her mind flashed images of Kensei and Mashiro in their Hollowfied masks. Her body became tense, not from her air way being blocked by Aizen’s hand around her throat, but from the seer realization that she was the reason for her friends becoming targets of his experiments with the Hogyoku.  
“All of this is because of you, my sweet little girl. Each one I have targeted have been those who have had something to do with you. They have met you. They have helped you. They were aware of you in some way. The last one on my list is that damn Kisuke Urahara, but I have something more in mind for him.” His words stung Midori’s heart.  
A light glowed inside of his sleeve as he placed it against her stomach. Midori felt something hot enter her body as if Aizen was burning her. He held it there for a while, making sure his deed would be complete. He leaned in to kiss her lips as he pulled his hand from her throat when a man wearing a cloak came bearing down on him. Midori recognized the Zanpakuto in his hands as Benihime. He let her go to turn to the cloaked figure.  
Midori fell to the ground grabbing her stomach and her neck, “Kisuke!”  
Midori had to acknowledge him. She had to let him know that she was there for him. She wanted him to know that she had full confidence in his ability to protect her.  
He pulled his hood off to look at Aizen, “Don’t touch, Midori!”  
Aizen did not grab his Zanpakuto but ran off. He had more to unleash before this night was over and did not want to waste his time with Kisuke. Midori watched as Aizen got away from them. She wanted to leap from the ground that moment, but her stomach was still burning from whatever Aizen had just done to her. She was not sure, but it had something to do with the glowing stone she felt pressed against her stomach. Her mind searched for more answers, but they failed to explain what just happened. Her mind was clouding the truth from her. She was grabbing her neck and stomach as she watched Kisuke come over to her. There was another man with him that she recognized as the Kido Corp Captain, Tessai Tsubakishi.  
“Midori, why are you here?”  
“I needed to be with you. I needed to tell you that you are in trouble. Everything that happens tonight will be pushed onto you. Aizen will see to you taking the blame.”  
He ignored her warning, “You should have stayed in the 6th division like your captain wanted.”  
“You knew. Why wouldn’t you come and get me?” She rose from the ground the best she could while grasping her stomach.  
“Midori, I am sorry. I failed to listen to you, and now, Aizen has succeeded in taking your happiness away. They are going to come for me. I don’t want you getting caught. You deserve a life better than this. A life better than the one I can give you if somehow I get away,” he kissed her head, “Go back to the 6th division barracks.” He turned to leave. Midori walked forward to follow him, “Tessai.” Tessai shook his head and in one swoop hit her in the back of the neck, knocking her out.  
“I am sorry, Midori. I love you, but I cannot protect you,” Kisuke thought to himself as he walked away into the woods leaving Tessai with Midori.  
He picked her up and carried her back to the 6th division barracks. He saw that the door to her room was chained. He walked into the room next to hers. It was empty. He crossed over the balcony into her room. He saw a figure sitting on her bed that looked like Midori. She was sitting in her stead. He placed Midori beside of her and watched as they fused back into one being. It fascinated him. He could not wrap his head around what he just saw. There was something off about the other Midori. He saw that her eyes were different in color. He knew something was not quite right about that figure who looked like Midori. He left to join with Kisuke, again.

*****  
The whole Soul Society was plagued with so many things that night. Many of the captains and lieutenants went missing. The Kido Corps Captain Tsubakishi and Lieutenant Hachigen Ushoda, 3rd division Captain Rojuro Otoribashi, 5th division Captain Shinji Hirako, 7th division Captain Love Aikawa, 9th division Captain Kensei Muguruma and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, 12th division Captain Kisuke Urahara and Lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki, and even 8th division Lisa Yadomaru were all gone. They had been either betrayed by Aizen, or they were trying to fix what he had done, like Kisuke and Tessai were trying to do.  
Midori woke up a few hours later. It was still night out. She was groggy from where Tessai had knocked her out. Her head was hurting. She remembered how Kisuke had left her. She hugged herself, trying to soothe herself from the flood of tears that wanted to be released from her eyes. She had so much pain in her heart. She felt like a huge weight had be unloaded onto her. She felt betrayed by his actions.  
“Was I really a tool to finish his experiment? No, he was scared. He didn’t feel like he could get out of this. He felt trapped and wanted me to have a safe place to land,” her thoughts raced through her mind when the door to her room began to get unchained.  
She looked up to find Byakuya in the door frame. He had dismissed the guards to her room and unchained the door himself. She would not be a prisoner if he had a say in anything. He saw her disheveled disposition. He wanted nothing more than to embrace her. He would never look at her any different than the woman he loved. The woman who he would cherish. He walked in and immediately placed her in a hug.  
“I know you had no choice. You’re not a traitor, Midori. I believe in you.”  
She grasped at his uniform as she hugged him. She did not hold back anymore. The tears fell from her eyes while being in his arms. It was the first time someone had reassured her that she was not crazy, that she was not committing treason. She couldn’t say anything, all of her words were caught in her throat. The look in Kisuke’s eyes played over and over in her head. She couldn’t believe that he would abandon her like he did.  
“I didn’t mean anything to him. You were right all along.”  
Her words though soft, hit Byakuya’s ears. He gripped her harder to help her realize that he was there for her. He knew not to mention to her how he loved her. She already knew. She knew that she was exactly what Kisuke had told her she wasn’t. She was a tool. A tool with the knowledge that would bring his sweet Hogyoku to life. He had picked his precious experiment over her. He never intended to have a future with her. She knew all of this too well now in light of everything that had unfolded.  
She had a void in her that would never be filled, but she still loved him. She would always love him. She would always remember his embrace, his kiss, his scent. She would always be captivated by him for eternity.  
Sojun came in when he saw the guards were gone from Midori’s room and the door was open. He thought that Midori had escaped. He stood in the door frame and watched as Byakuya soothed Midori until she fell asleep in his arms. He saw how his son laid his head on hers. How he rubbed her back and calmed her. He knew how much Midori meant to his son. He saw the sympathy his son had in his face at how Midori was being treated.  
“Of course, you wouldn’t believe her betrayal, son. She is, of course, the woman you love,” Sojun’s thought as he watched them.  
Sojun wanted to go against his father’s command because he knew Midori even if it was those 8 short years, he knew her character and her personality. She would not act all concerned for others if she meant them any harm, and she wouldn’t be able to cry like she did from people calling her a traitor. He felt horrible about all this. He knew that Midori would be taken to Commander Yamamoto, but what details would his father tell about her. Would she be condemned to a life in the underground prison? It would not be right. She didn’t know what she was doing when Kisuke Urahara had coaxed her into helping him.  
He left them there as he went back to his room. He remembered loving Byakuya’s mother. How much he loved her. He could see it in Byakuya’s eyes when he stole looks at Midori. She was his son’s world, and it tore him up inside when he saw how much pain they had put her through. She was also a victim in all of this. She was just like his wife, and he wanted to help her.

*****  
Kisuke and Tessai continued through the forest in search of Aizen. They knew they needed to find him and put a stop to his plan.  
“Are you sure that was the best thing to do for her? You know she will hate you.”  
“Tessai, I just wasn’t strong enough to protect her. Let’s leave it at that. For the fact that she would hate me, I was waiting on it. I have been for a very long time. I couldn’t keep my promises to her, so why shouldn’t she hate me. I just hope in time that she will forget it all.”  
Tessai was shocked at hearing that Kisuke knew that Midori would hate him some day. He had heard from Yoruichi that Kisuke and Midori were in love. He could never imagine that Kisuke would just abandon her because he was afraid to face their future together, even if it was in the prison of the Soul Society. He wrapped his head around this subject for a while as they ran to find Aizen before he could take anyone else. He would never make sense of it. His mind still flashed visions of the other Midori in his mind. He did not know who that was, but it was not Midori. He felt it in the way it looked at him. It was aware just like any living being. It had a mind of its own. If it were just a part of her, it would only do as she wished. It would not act on its own accord like it did when he stared at him with those brown eyes. This was something that he would also never understand, so he just dropped the thought all together.  
Kisuke’s mind flooded with his memories of Midori. He saw her smile, saw her cry, saw things that he thought he would only see. He missed her, but he knew that he had to let her go. He had tried before, but now in this moment he had no choice. He could not take it back now that she was gone from his side. He knew that she would have to live a life without him. He knew before the night was through that he would be dead, in prison, or permanently banished from the Soul Society. He would never see her, again. It pained him that he would never hear her voice or touch her soft skin, again. He tried to bury it deep inside. He had to. He had to find Aizen and end this.  
“I love you, Midori. You will be the only woman I love for eternity,” he expressed words that only his heart and mind could hear.  
He kept running beside of Tessai. There was a clearing in front of them, and as they came into its center, they saw a group of people dressed in Soul Reaper uniforms with what looked like Hollow masks on their faces. He saw on the ground not far from him was his lieutenant, Hiyori. She had a mask too. He hated the fact that he had sent her out here on her own. He gripped his Zanpakuto as he saw Aizen with Gin and Tosen. He never knew that Tosen had become entangled in everything. He was someone that Kisuke thought would never stoop that low.  
Again, Aizen had not intent to fight with Kisuke. He looked out into field where all his new creations laid before him. He smiled a wicked grin before turning and leaving Kisuke and Tessai there.  
Kisuke wanted to go after him, but he knew that he needed to try and help his fellow Soul Reapers, “Tessai, we need to get them back to the Institute. I think I can reverse them before their transformations are complete.”  
Tessai understood. He used a Kido spell that was prohibited in the Soul Society to transport them all to the Institute. Kisuke went to work trying to figure out how to reverse it. If he could save them, he would be able to save his relationship with Midori. He would be able to stay with her in the Soul Society and protect her like he intended too. He worked well into the night until exhaustion overtook him.  
When morning came, he walked outside to take a short break. The sun embraced his face as he walked out into the center of the back courtyard of the Institute. Suddenly, a group of 1st division guards that worked with the underground prison surrounded him and arrested him. They drug him off to Commander Yamamoto for judgement. The experimented Soul Reapers were left inside of the Institute.

The End of the Collapsing Arc


	9. Hollowed Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori told Captain Kuchiki everything about her involvement with the Institute thinking it would help Kisuke. She was confined to her room where she snuck out in order to find Kisuke. She ran into Kensei and Mashiro who were transformed into something Midori recognized as a Hollow. She continued on her path to find Kisuke to be cornered by Aizen who placed something hot on her stomach that caused her pain. Kisuke came in the nick of time to save her, but soon dismissed her from his side. He did not want her getting involved.
> 
> And now the first chapter of the Desolation Arc....Chapter Nine: Hollowed Betrayal...

Midori woke up the next morning mentally exhausted. She noticed that Byakuya was gone and the door to her room was wide open. She easily stepped toward her door and heard two squad members from the 6th division talking about what happened last night, "Did you guys hear about the captain of the 12th division?"   
" Yeah, they've arrested him and Tessai from the Kido Corps for conspiring against the Soul Society."   
Midori rushed from her room with her Zanpakuto on her hips. She reached the two member who treated her like nothing had happened the night before.   
"Where are they? Where are they being held?"   
The two squad members looked shocked, "3rd Seat Midori, they are being taken to Commander Yamamoto, right now."   
Midori did not say anything but ran off toward the 1st division. She made sure that no one saw her and used flash step the whole way. If her captain had told anyone about her part in the creation of the Hogyoku, they would arrest her immediately. She needed to get there and save Kisuke from his fate. It was Aizen who had orchestrated the whole incident, and she wanted to make sure he took the blame for all of his trespasses against the Soul Society.  
She did not stop before busting the door open and standing in front of everyone out of breath. The hall where the captains and lieutenant who were not victims of last night’s incident was a little smaller than Commander Yamamoto’s office. On each side of the room had captains aligning the walk way that led to Commander Yamamoto. Their lieutenants stood directly behind them. They all stared at her.   
"Midori Kyoraku, what is the meaning of this?!" Yamamoto yelled.   
It seemed that Captain Kuchiki was keeping what she had told him a secret from Commander Yamamoto.   
"Commander Yamamoto, why have you arrested Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsubakishi? They are not the ones who had hand in creating the incident with the missing members of the 13 Court Guard Squad or the ritual of Hollowfication."   
"Midori, do you have proof as to who was behind these incidents?" Aizen questioned her.   
He was standing to the right of her, and the space where his captain would have stood was now empty. He gave her a look that made her feel like he was baiting her. She knew it was best not to take the bait because it would cause more of a scene, and even if she were to speak out against him, she would never win. Aizen always had a way to make others see his side, and she gathered it was all thanks to his Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, a Zanpakuto that could cause total hypnosis.   
Midori knew that Aizen was the creator of the original Hogyoku that was used against everyone last night. He had tricked Kisuke, but she had no proof to show anyone, nothing physical at least. She hated him. She wanted to push past the other captains and rip his throat out for thinking he could act so innocently.   
Her thoughts of revenge were interrupted, "Answer him, Midori," Commander Yamamoto called to her.   
"I do not have any physical evidence, but--"   
She was interrupted by Commander Yamamoto, again, "Then, why are you here? Just because you allowed yourself to push aside your duties as 3rd seat of the 6th division and trusted someone who used their position as captain to betray the Soul Society does not give you cause to be here. Arrest Midori!"  
A group of 1st division members came toward Midori at their captain’s order. Anxiety began to settle in her body. She had already taken Aizen’s bait. He wanted her to come here. He wanted to her to make a fool of herself in front of everyone. It must have been his punishment for her not agreeing to join him, but it troubled her why he would do something so simple. Her eyes made contact with him. He stared back at her and a smirk played across his face. A heat began to rise inside of her, but she felt the comforting hand of her uncle on her shoulder.   
Shunsui had stepped out of his place with the captains and walked toward Midori shielding her from the guards that were called, "Commander Yamamoto, surely you do not wish to arrest someone who had nothing to do with this incident. I would even begin to say that Captain Kuchiki can give an alibi as to Midori's whereabouts."   
Behind Captain Kuchiki his son whispered to him, “Don’t father. Midori isn’t at fault here.”   
He listened to his son and shook his head in agreement with Shunsui’s statement. It was true that her actions in the incident would not be told by Captain Kuchiki or Lieutenant Sojun to anyone other than those who already knew.  
Commander Yamamoto placed his hand on his chin to think while members from the 1st division came in and placed cuffs on Midori's wrists. Shunsui stepped aside as to know interfere in their commands from their Commander. He did not want to leave her side because he knew something was going on with her. He felt it when he touched her. She was trembling like she normally did when she would allow her anxiety to take hold of her.   
Midori began to squirm in her new bracelets. They were uncomfortable and rubbed hard into her wrists. Her stomach dropped. The tips of her fingers and her arms began to freeze. She was going to have another anxiety attack, and it did not help that she was already upset and furious that Aizen was going to get away with yet another one of his horrible deeds. She took her eyes off of him to look at Commander Yamamoto.   
Aizen kept his eyes on her as Commander Yamamoto made his mind up, "Midori will spend 24 hours in a holding cell for interrupting Soul Society procedures and for being aligned with those who participated in the Hollowfication incident. She will be stripped of her rank and transferred to the 4th division to be under the watchful eye of Retsu Unohana. Take her!" The 1st division members who had placed her in the cuffs, grabbed for her arms to drag her off.   
Midori head’s began to get hazy. Her vision blurred, and her body went limp. A black energy began to whoosh through the air as an evil spiritual pressure pushed out of her. Shunsui stepped toward Midori, and a rattling laugh came from her. The evil spiritual pressure bore down on everyone in the room. It caused everyone to place their hands on their Zanpakuto.  
She looked up at Commander Yamamoto. She tilted her head sideways as her eyes completely blacked out and golden slits replaced her irises. Her skin began to turn white as began to turn a pure shade of white. Large black circles appeared around her eyes that looked like smudged eyeshadow, and two long sharp black lines fell under each eye and stopped at the corner of each side of her lips. Her eyes lashes were thick and white, and large bone like teeth appeared to fill her face where her lips once were. They reached across both sides of her face. Her arms were white except for her mid-forearm to the tips of her fingers which were black. Her hands turned into large poison dripping claws. Her hair fell in long auburn waves across her back and shoulders. Her feet transformed and broke through her sandals to reveal enlarged feet with sharp talon like toes. She had blood lust in her eyes and her target was Commander Yamamoto.   
Midori did not have control of her senses as a vile, shrilling voice rattled from her mouth, "You'll die first, you old fool!"   
The cuffs on her wrists broken as she lunged at Yamamoto taking him by surprise. As she swiped, the poison from her claws dripped onto the floor in front of him and sizzled. Retsu, Shunsui, and Jushiro ran to her and held her on the ground with the Gochutekkan Kido. Five giant stone pillars fell from out of nowhere, each one attached to the other by chains, and pinned her to the floor. Hollowfied Midori squirmed and screamed loudly like a banshee, causing an explosion of pulsing energy to come out of her. It caused blood to appear from everyone's ears.   
Captain Unohana bent down closer to her and began to chant a sealing spell on Midori to seal her Hollow form. Aizen looked on with excitement of how strong the Hollow that formed in Midori was.   
“It seemed that there was one success to my experiments. We shall enjoy the things you create from now on Midori with this newfound friend of yours. I will use you to my advantage in the future. You’re already mine,” Aizen sinister thoughts filled his head as he reeled in pleasure at his accomplishment.   
The sealing charm that Captain Unohana was placing on Midori began to appear on her left arm. It was an octagon with black lines reaching the center and a kanji symbol for "forbidden" appeared in the center. The white skin that Midori's Hollow had produced began to recede from her arms, legs, and chest. The white paint that covered her face fell off like a mask broke into pieces, disappearing into dust. The whites of her eyes resumed their original brilliant violet. She fell unconscious after that.   
"Take her to the Central Underground Prison and away from the others! Keep her bound and make sure to restrain her more! I will not have that Hollow wreak havoc in the Soul Society!"   
"Wait Commander Yamamoto, please don't send Midori to the Central Underground Prison." A shadow appeared. It was Byakuya Kuchiki. He looked so dignified standing there in front of them in Midori’s stead.   
"Byakuya?!" Captain Kuchiki yelled out. His grandfather was shocked to see that Byakuya Kuchiki was there pleading for Midori's life, “Have you lost control of your senses, boy!”   
“Grandfather, you would not understand,” his short phrase caused his grandfather to not say another word. He saw the passion in his grandson’s eyes and for so long, he knew how Byakuya felt about Midori.   
Commander Yamamoto was not going to let this get out of control, "We will not speak of this now. Everyone is dismissed!"   
The members from the 1st division drug Midori out of the room and took her to the Central Underground Prison. Everyone else but Shunsui, Jushiro, Retsu, and Byakuya exited the room. The determination in Byakuya's eyes made his grandfather leave him to his own devices.   
"Why are you four still here? I will not hear anything else on the matter."   
Commander Yamamoto was paused to even talk about what he just saw. He did not know how to react to Midori transforming into a Hollow. It caused a whirlwind of emotions to cloud his judgement at the moment. He had known and spent a lot of time with Midori since she came to the Seireitei. He thoughts of her as his granddaughter just as she thought of him as her grandfather. He was crushed when he saw the Hollow take over her body. He was like those who stood before him. He did not want to see her punished for something she had not control over.  
"Commander Yamamoto, you know as well as we know that Midori is not a threat. She was tricked in all of this. She would have never gone against the Soul Society," Byakuya spoke out against Yamamoto's verdict.   
"I think that the seal will be able to hold the Hollow back. I don't think that Midori will be a threat to us here as long as that seal is kept in place," Captain Unohana explained trying to give Byakuya some backup on the matter.   
"I think we all can say, Commander Yamamoto, that all four of us will take responsibility for Midori. We will not allow her Hollow form to wreak havoc on the Soul Society. She does not deserve to be punished after being taken advantage of like she was," Jushiro proclaimed.   
He, most of all, did not want Midori to suffer for anything that was not her own fault. He felt that his heart would not allow him to betray her. He wanted to always protect her and her smile. He hated seeing her dragged away like a criminal. Of course, he could not believe that it was possible for a Soul Reaper to be taken over like that by a Hollow, but he knew that his main goal and objective was to protect Midori. He would do anything to make sure she was safe.   
Commander Yamamoto thought for a moment. He eyed everyone in the circle and then stared at Shunsui. He had not said anything since Midori had transformed. He wanted to know his thoughts about the situation.   
"Shunsui?"   
Shunsui looked up still shuffling through what had just happened. He was as dumbfounded as everyone else here, but he stood his ground like he would in any circumstance involving Midori.   
He had to protect her, "Old Man Yama, I see you want my blessing to condemn my niece to a life in prison, but that is just not fair. My love for that child would never allow me to let this happen to her. I agree with everyone! We can place a seal on her and keep the Hollow in. My niece will not strike against us in this matter. The man she thought loved her had betrayed her and now abandoned her. I think this is the most punishment that she should receive. His betrayal against us is so small considering what it will do to her."   
Shunsui looked down at the floor and thought about how Midori would feel when she found out about Kisuke's escape. How would she feel when she found out he abandoned her? He knew that ever since she got into a relationship with Kisuke that she had been having more and more anxiety attacks. They were worse than any he had seen before, so he knew that she would suffer something awful after all of this was over with. He knew that he could never let her spend the rest of her life behind bars because she would not be able to survive in that place. He felt cold encompass his body as he thought about how she would be affected by all of his. He could not stand by and let her future to be decided as such.  
"Commander Yamamoto, I would suggest that you allow the seal to be kept on her and let her reenter the Seireitei. You have already stripped her of her titles, and she can become a go between for the divisions. We could even train her to control the seal coveting the Hollow inside of her and as a last resort, we can use her as the Soul Society's secret weapon," Byakuya bargained.   
Everyone was shocked to hear Byakuya's deal causing them to stare. They all did not agree with using Midori as a weapon, even Byakuya, but to keep her safe, they all would agree to any terms except her imprisonment. They all cared so much for her that they could not see her life be taken from her because of something that she could not control.  
Commander Yamamoto cleared his throat, "Alright, if you all insist, but to make sure that she doesn't break the seal, we will keep her in a cell for five days. After that, we will release her back into the Seireitei. Retsu, you will keep an eye on her up close, and I would suggest that we all keep an eye on her from a distance. If she is not as strong willed as we thought and the Hollow resurfaces, we will have to take preventive measures and exterminate it along with her,” he saw Shunsui look at him with an wide eyed expression, “I am sorry, Shunsui, but this is the only way it will work." They all agreed to his verdict. That was all they could do in order to make sure she was protected and safe. None of them said anything else as they turned and left Commander Yamamoto to his thoughts.

*****  
Below Sokyoku Hill, Yoruichi revealed herself to be the one who freed Kisuke and Tessai. The underground room under Sokyoku Hill was the same desert area in Yoruichi’s underground training grounds. The Soul Reapers who had been experimented on were coming to as Kisuke and Tessai appeared. They all were exhausted and did not know really what was going on. Their minds were fuzzy. They all kept quiet, still trying to figure out the events of the night before.   
Yoruichi walked over to Kisuke, "They have arrested Midori and are keeping her prisoner in the Central Underground Prison. There is a rumor that she tried to fight Commander Yamamoto." Kisuke looked up in shock.   
“She wouldn't do that. Midori would not put herself in danger to protect them, would she?” he thought.   
A part of him wanted to go to her and release her, but he knew that if they did that they would be arrested again. He knew that he would have to leave her where she was, and it pained him. He had come to the conclusion last night that he had to let her go, but for her to act up against Commander Yamamoto shocked and confused him. He knew that Midori was a by the rules kind of Soul Reaper. She had times when she would bend a rule, but never break one, and fighting a captain was one of the rules that would end up with you locked up. He stayed with his thoughts about her.   
"We have to save her. She is one of us, isn't she?" Rojuro Otoribashi stepped forward. He was tired and wore a sullen expression on his face, but he was assertive and did not stir when they looked at him.   
Kensei came from the shadows along with Mashiro, “Midori will be given punishment if they find out she had anything to do with that damn Hogyoku. Kisuke, I think this is all your fault for dragging her into it in the first place. It all just pisses me off!” He reached out to grab Kisuke by the collar, but Mashiro stopped him. She felt bad for Midori, but what could they do for her.   
"We should go and rescue her," Kisuke’s words were soft and uncertain.   
"Kisuke, you know that will put us all in danger. We need to get out of here before they find us. Midori is safer here than with us. She has her uncle to take care of her. She will be fine." He nodded his head in understanding.  
He began to walk through the Senkaimon, a portal to the World of the Living with Yoruichi and the newly created Visoreds, the experimented Soul Reapers, in tow. Rojuro was not happy. He could feel Midori’s spiritual pressure change which made him worry for her safety. He hesitated but reluctantly followed Kisuke.   
“Midori, I am sorry. I'm sorry for all the hurtful things you will have to endure because of my foolishness. I am sorry for leaving you, but the promise I made you, that you will be the only woman I love, will never die. I will find a way to return things back to the way they were, and when I return, I hope you will be waiting for me. I surely am a selfish fool,” Kisuke thought as he placed a green stripped hat on his head and disguised Benihime as a modern walking cane. Yoruichi took the shape of a black cat and hopped on his shoulder. With the World of the Living as their destination, how will they ever survive amongst the people of the living?

*****  
The moon shown on Midori's cell and fell on her face. Sweat ran down her cheeks as her eyes began to open. She couldn't move well. It was like they placed her in a strait jacket. Her arms were bound with seals and chains behind her back. It was uncomfortable and caused her shoulders to burn with pain. The walls were bare, dark, and cold, and she felt the cold drift in through her uniform. Her left arm seared with pain as the seal that was planted there was still sizzling from the Hollow’s powers being restrained. She glared at it. Reading the kanji that was placed on it was a reminder of her mistake, and it shocked her.   
"Forbidden?" A shadow appeared in front of her cell. The voice coming from it was Sosuke Aizen as she looked up to see his glasses flash from the moonlight.   
She stared at him with cold eyes, "What the hell do you want?" Her voice was raspy and hoarse from the Hollow’s screams. She was not in the mood to deal with him.   
"You truly are amazing, Midori. I never thought that kind of power flowed from such a girl as you. It is rather interesting that even after changing those captain and lieutenants, that the real success was in you.” His voice was snide and prudent. He smiled at her, licking his lips like it was a game to him. "I merely want you, Midori. I want the power you have. You know my secrets, but you also know that no one in the Soul Society will ever trust you. You are a traitor. Commander Yamamoto has already proclaimed that your history in the Soul Society is now tainted because of Kisuke using his position and making you his tool to betray everyone. Do you know what this is, Midori? If it weren’t for your notes on Kisuke's blueprints, I would have never figured it out myself. You truly are a wonder in the Soul Society. No one has seen a person like you since Shunsui and Jushiro's age, and even they did not have the ability to adapt to the power they were given so easily. I can only imagine what you will do with the powers of that Hollow within you.”   
Midori’s eyes widen. She thought back to what happened with Commander Yamamoto, and all she could see were two blackened eyes with two golden slits where her irises would have been looking back at her. She noticed that Aizen produced a small glowing orb that she recognized was a Hogyoku.   
“How do you have that?”   
Aizen did not know what Midori was talking about. He had always had the Hogyoku with him. It was not known to Aizen that Kisuke still had his Hogyoku, and it bogged his mind even more that she thought he still had it. He figured that it was confiscated when they arrested Kisuke. Midori knew. She knew where he would have kept it, but she was not about to tell Aizen that.   
He leaned forward against the bars and tried to hold her attention, “I will help you, Midori. If you will allow me to, but only if you pledge yourself to me and become my weapon.”   
She glared at him. She chuckled at him, and then her voice changed to the same shrilling voice of the Hollow that appeared. It was like she was using it to intimidate Aizen, “You are mistaken on who the hell you are talking to!”   
She got up from her chair and ran toward him, but a chain on the wall jerked her back. Her eyes were blacked out and the golden slits from earlier were back. They were staring at Aizen, trying to burn holes through him. If looks could kill, those Hollow eyes would have struck him dead in an instant.   
“You are a fool to think that I would ever allow this girl to become your puppet. If it weren’t for the things holding her back from releasing me, I would have splattered that pretty little head across the floor, four eyes!” she screamed out at Aizen.   
He felt the push of spiritual pressure come from her mouth. He covered his ears while many of the other prisoners in the Central Underground Prison all screamed in pain at the high magnitude of her scream. A huge spiritual pressure pushed out of Midori and pushed Aizen down on his backside. He looked up at her, and her Hollowfied eyes had receded. She stood there with an orange glow flowing from her body. It was trying to push the Hollow back inside of her.  
A green glow appeared beside of her, and a figure appeared and stared down at Aizen. It was Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, Midori’s Zanpakuto. He was not happy to see Aizen.   
“It appears that a bloke like you only knows how to meddle with something they know nuffin’ about. If I were you pretty boy, I would leave and never approach Midori again.”   
Aizen did not know how Midori’s Zanpakuto spirit had appeared beside her. Her Zanpakuto had been taken before they placed her in here. Seigi was not in the mood to deal with Aizen’s notions. He was restrained to take a holographic form as he was not near her Zanpakuto, and he was pissed off at the fact someone else had touched him considering Midori did not give her permission, but he still pledged to protect her.   
“It’s okay, Seigi. He isn’t even worth the effort.” It was like Seigi’s personality reflected on her when he appeared before her even when it was in this form.   
Aizen was not please, “Tsk. You think that Zanpakuto can protect you? You will never rest until you join me, remember that. You will become “my sweet little girl” like I have always intended you to be. Oh, and to just to let you know, Kisuke and Tessai left the prison hours ago? He abandoned you, you know, so there is no reason for you to resist me anymore, Midori. You don’t have him holding you back or to come between us. Come to me when you make a decision, and we can work something out.” He gave her a smug grin. It really pissed Seigi off, but Midori played it off like it did not faze her except what he had said about Kisuke.  
She couldn’t believe that Kisuke was gone and she was here. She was here all alone. He never really meant that he would stand with her. They never had a future together.   
She felt a fury arise inside of her, “Aizen! I will be the one who kills you! I will be the one who will make sure all your deeds are undone, and that you are left holding your heart in your hand, remember that!”   
He saw the determination in her eyes, but he also saw the tears beginning to fall down her face. He smirked and turned to leave placing his hand up waving goodbye to her, walking like he had just won a victory over her. Seigi disappeared leaving Midori in her cell alone.  
She kicked the chair she was sitting in over and screamed until her voice was hoarse. She dropped to her knees crying.   
“KISUKE!” It was like all the confidence she had faded, and all that was left was her loneliness.   
“How could you leave me like this? How could you, Kisuke? I thought I was important to you. Was I a game to you? I understand now, all I was to you was a way for you to complete your project, a tool for that stupid Hogyoku!” she realized the truth through her thoughts.  
“Damn you, KISUKE URAHARA!” 

*****  
Midori was left in that cell for five days like Commander Yamamoto had ordered. She endured all her misery in those five days. The feeling of the Hollow within her disappeared beneath the seal on her arm that was now just a black tattoo. The five days in her cell caused Midori to think about her situation. She was now labeled a traitor to the Seireitei but was able to stay as a go between in the divisions for the captains. She would be watched and only allowed to help out in the medical division, the 4th division under Captain Retsu Unohana. Her position with the 6th division was stripped from her. She would never hold another seated position in the Seireitei.   
If she had known this would have been her punishment for loving him, she would have refrained from it. She would have hated him. She would have fell in love with Byakuya like he pleaded with her to do. Tears fell from her eyes, but they were scarce because she had cried so much in the past five days. Over the five days, Midori screamed Kisuke’s name so much that her voice was almost nonexistent. She had berated herself for helping him. She called herself a fool. She felt that her existence in the world was useless.  
Two shadows appeared at her cell on the sixth day. It was a pair of familiar faces and no one else was with them. Jushiro opened the door with the key and ran inside placing Midori in a hug. It did not phase her. Her mind was hazy, and she thought that what she was seeing was an illusion.   
“Are you real?” Midori questioned them. Shunsui looked scared for the first time in Midori’s life. He had never seen her so defeated like he did at this moment.   
Jushiro pulled on the straps on her restraints and released her arms from behind her back. The chains fell with the straps and clanged on the floor. Her arms fell at her sides with no resistance. They were broken. It caused them to become alarmed. They did not know how her arms were broken, but they were worried about if possibly she had done it to herself. They both were concerned what state her mind was in as she sat there in a trance.  
“Oh Midori, what have you done to yourself?” he checked her face and wiped the tears that had dried away, “We are here now, Midori.” Jushiro wanted to take her in his arms, but he left that to Shunsui. He rose from in front of her and stepped aside for Shunsui to take her.   
Shunsui took off his haori and threw it over her. He scooped her up into his arms making sure her arms were laying perfectly on her lap. He situated her so she could lean against his chest. They walked out of the Central Underground Prison and headed to the 4th division barracks. They needed Captain Unohana to fix her. Jushiro wanted to ask her so many questions, and so did Shunsui, but they knew she wouldn’t answer them. They heard her groan once, and then they saw she was crying, again. The tears would not stop until they got to Captain Unohana’s office. 

*****  
The door was pushed open by Jushiro, and Shunsui walked in laying Midori on the ground. Captain Unohana rushed to her side. She examined Midori’s body and took notice of her arms. The seal was still sealed, but her arms were in horrible condition. Without hesitation, Captain Unohana stripped Midori’s uniform down to her waist and began to examine her. Jushiro and Shunsui blushed but turned their backs to them immediately at her sudden action. Captain Unohana grabbed Midori’s arms and moved them, but there was no reaction to the movement.   
“Nerve damage, had to be self-inflicted.”   
Shunsui and Jushiro felt uncomfortable and knew that Captain Unohana needed time to assess Midori’s injuries and condition. They both walked out the door to let Unohana complete her examination.   
“Why would she inflict that kind of harm onto herself?” Shunsui was worried even more now about Midori.   
He had never known her to harm herself, but now after all this, it crossed his mind rather quickly, “How many times have you done that to yourself before without me knowing?”   
Jushiro was just as puzzled. He could see the worried look on his friend’s face, “I don’t know Shunsui. I am sure she blames herself a lot for what happened. She is definitely not the same Midori we saw five days ago.”   
Shunsui did not look at Jushiro. He took a seat on the deck. Jushiro followed him.   
“Do you think if she wasn’t restrained that she wouldn’t have done it?” Jushiro took in his question.   
He wondered that himself, but he could not accept that resolve about her, “I don’t know. It could have been worse, I suppose.”   
“I wonder if that Hollow surfaced anymore while she was in there?” Shunsui wondered. He did not expect an answer and did not get one. Jushiro just sat there and waited in silence.

*****  
When Captain Unohana came back around from her desk to start Kaido, Midori finally spoke, “Please, don’t heal me with Kaido. Let me just deal with the pain and the healing all on my own. It is atonement for my trespasses on the Soul Society.”   
Captain Unohana began to cry. She pulled Midori into her arms and hugged her. Midori did not lean into her more or even cry. She was broken in that moment. Broken from emotion, broken from a sense of safety. She had lost it all like she knew she would. She had told Kisuke about the consequences of his experiment, and she was there all alone and the only one to reap them. She was a puppet like Aizen wanted her to be, but she was a puppet to the Soul Society, now. A gigai without anyone home.  
Captain Unohana used a type of Kaido against Midori’s wishes to restore the nerve receptacles in her arms. She mended them and placed them both in casts. Midori screamed in pain as the casts were being applied. Now, that her nerve receptacles were repaired, she felt all the pain. It was something she felt like she deserved considering she felt like a tool used by the man she thought loved her. She just took the pain as punishment for her foolishness.   
“I can heal you.”   
“No, it is better this way. Just finish and have my uncle take me to my new home,” Unohana hated the nothingness in Midori’s voice, but she did as she was asked, “Thank you, Retsu... Captain Unohana.”  
After bandaging Midori’s arms, Captain Unohana walked out the door to her office to find Jushiro and Shunsui still waiting.   
“You might want to wipe the worried looks off of your faces before you scare my squad.” They looked around to see Captain Unohana standing there with a worried look on her face as well.   
“How is she?” They both said in unison.   
Captain Unohana swallowed hard, “Midori inflicted the wounds on her arms in order to atone for her trespasses against the Soul Society. She would not allow me to heal her completely. I was able to repair the nerve receptacles in her arms and placed casts on her arms. Not only is she physically harmed, but she is mentally unstable as well. Midori went through a lot in that cell. She endured so much within such a short time. The seal on her arm is completely sealed, and there are no signs of anything inside of her fighting it. She wants you to take her to her room.” She signaled for Shunsui to enter the office and take Midori.   
She walked with them down to the room Midori would stay in, it was right beside of hers. Shunsui placed Midori on a chair in the room that was position near the back balcony. Her arms were bundled in front of her and she stared out the door to the balcony. She did not say a word to anyone. Shunsui sat down on the floor beside of her and stayed with her.   
“Shunsui?” Jushiro was concerned.   
“I will stay with her a bit. Please, let my division know I will return soon. Thank you.”   
It was the first time in a while that Shunsui was that formal toward him. Jushiro was not only worried about Midori, but he was now worried about Shunsui. He took his leave from them and did as he was asked. Captain Unohana returned to her office and left them in silence.   
“Midori? Please, talk to me. Yell at me. Scream if you must, or cry. Do something besides sit there and act like you are a void. Please, do this for me. Don’t shut me out, kiddo.”   
Shunsui grabbed the pants leg to her uniform like a kid. She took her eyes off of the scenery outside the balcony door to look at him. Her eyes were blank. They held no feeling. It was like no one was home. She turned her head back to the balcony.   
“You should forget about me.” Her words hit Shunsui hard.   
He got up from his seated position, standing there gripping his hands hard. She could hear his breathing get harder and harder. She knew he was upset, no he was mad. She turned back to look at him thinking he was going to hit her. She could see his fists now, but instead her embraced her the best he could considering her arms.   
“I would never ever forget you. You are my daughter, Midori. You are my responsibility. I love you too much, kiddo.”   
He cried there in that embrace. Tears flowed down Midori’s cheeks as well. She wanted to hug him back, but all she could manage was her chin bearing down on his shoulder. “Uncle Shunsui, thank you for loving me.”  
Shunsui stayed with Midori like this until well into the night. She fell asleep in her chair, and before he left, he picked her up and placed her on her futon. He kissed her forehead and covered her up. He watched her for a few moments. She looked like she did as a kid, but she was older. He left after that going back to his barracks.   
Captain Unohana was outside her room, “Shunsui, will Midori ever return to herself?”   
“In time, she just has to learn to love herself, again. I am glad he is gone from here. If we were to have executed him here, I would be afraid of what she would have done. I am glad there is at least some sliver of hope, she can have when she recovers to see him, again. I would hope all together for her to forget him, but I know that is asking too much,” Captain Unohana smiled at him the best she could, “I will appeal to Old Man Yama about Midori’s Soul Society record. I don’t want her to be red listed in the Soul Society. One mistake should not dictate her life. I don’t want her branded with the word of a traitor the rest of her life. I just want her to be free.”   
“I understand your feelings, Shunsui. I will also ask for this. If you need back up, I will be here for you and her. Don’t worry too much, I will send her to you often, so you can see her, and I will make sure to take good care of her.” Shunsui tipped his sakkat at Captain Unohana before leaving her barracks.   
Captain Unohana checked in on Midori. She was sitting up on her futon staring out the balcony door. She was crying, talking to herself, “How stupid am I? I loved you, Kisuke. I loved you. I was so gullible, but you knew that, didn’t you? You surely found a truly stupid girl to fall in love with you.”   
Unohana did not say anything, she closed Midori’s door quietly and laid her back against it. Tears fell from her eyes in huge streams. She cupped her mouth and cried for Midori, the girl who thought herself a fool for loving someone.

*****  
It took Midori’s arms a month to heal. Captain Unohana came in and changed her bandages and worked with Midori’s arms several times a day to help get the movement back in her arms. At the end of the month, she forced Midori to accept help from Kaido to make sure her arms were like they used to be before her imprisonment. She reluctantly agreed to the treatment. Captain Unohana thought that a month was far too long for atonement.   
Shunsui and Retsu went together to Commander Yamamoto to appeal Midori’s record. He consented to erasing her record for being a traitor, but she still could not become a seated member in the Seireitei. She would be allowed to go on missions as long as she checked in with Retsu before and after missions to have her seal looked at and resealed. She would not be branded a traitor, and she would be allowed access to things she had before the incident minus her title. Shunsui and Retsu were content with the judgement. They came and told Midori, but she was unfazed by it. She did not care about any of it. She still felt the hate for herself that she began to feel when she spent her time in that dark cell. They were not surprised in her reaction. This type of Midori was the norm. She did not leave her room for any reason, and she only ate the food Captain Unohana brought her.   
Many of the people in the 4th division thought that she was a bird in a cage, one that none of them got to see. Captain Unohana brought Midori her Zanpakuto back on the second day she was there. Seigi manifested when no one was around, but he did not get a reaction from Midori either. He stayed with her off and on between Captain Unohana’s visits to keep an eye on her. He could feel the suicidal thoughts that coursed through Midori’s heart. It took a toll on him, too. He was beginning to feel vicious and screamed at her many times to cheer up before his world in her mind was turned upside down. It was bad enough that another figure had invaded their world but kept itself sealed behind a large black gated door. He told her all he could see was its eyes and there was nothing but bloodlust in them.

*****  
Shunsui upon his return to his office from the 4th division barracks to tell Midori about Captain Yamamoto’s verdict, pulled from his uniform a small disk. He placed it in a viewing screen that was in the shape of a desktop computer. On the screen was Midori being pulled into her cell. He saw the guards place the restraints on her and sat her in the chair. He then noticed some time later that Aizen appeared.   
“What the hell are you doing here?”   
There was no audio that he could hear, but her saw that Midori had ran at the cell bars at him. He saw her eyes change color to that of the Hollow, the orange glow appear around her, and in that same moment, a green glow appeared beside of her.   
“Midori, what was he telling you?” Shunsui kept watching. He saw Seigi no Nai Seitoshi appear beside of Midori, but her Zanpakuto was nowhere near her. He chuckled when Aizen fell on his backside.   
Over the five days that Midori was imprisoned, he watched her movements. He saw the day she broke her right arm and the pain she felt from it. He saw how the next day she broke the left one, and how her eyes changed back to that of a Hollow. He noticed the seal glowed red and then Midori passed out.   
The times she cried were many, and it caused him to cry again. He felt so much pain watching his niece hurt herself, but he was still curious what Aizen was talking to her about. He knew if he asked Midori that she would not answer him, or she may not remember, and if he asked Aizen about it, he would deny it or find a way around it. He pulled the disk from the computer and placed it in a drawer in his desk. He sealed the drawer so no one would find it. He wanted to keep it for evidence if things happened the way he thought they would. The only other person he trusted with it was Jushiro. Jushiro was mortified by what happened to Midori while she was in the Central Underground Prison. He promised to himself that he would never mention it to her.

*****  
When Midori finally exited her room, she was greeted by the sun and the other members of the 4th division. They spoke in a respectful tone toward her, but Midori knew what they thought about her. She wasn’t deaf. She knew that they would talk about her behind her back. The only ones she could trust was Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, who replaced Seinosuke, and 7th seat, Hanataro, Seinosuke’s younger brother. It seemed like her world was getting smaller. The people whom she grew up with and went to the Academy with were either gone or they did not trust her anymore.   
From time to time, Midori would hear someone say, “There is that traitor, Midori.” It became something of a burden to her.   
She became what Commander Yamamoto wanted her to become, she was a go between. She would deliver messages and help around the 4th division. Captain Unohana always made Midori feel welcomed. There were times when the members of the division would say that Midori was replacing Lieutenant Kotetsu, but then again, that was impossible now. Midori found that the best way she could go on with her day was to ignore the ignorant people around her. 

*****  
She was on her way to see Byakuya who had just been placed as the new Captain of the 6th division. She wanted to congratulate him on a job well done. When she showed up at the barracks, she received some really hateful comments, but she continued on her way to see him. He was standing in the room that she used to visit to get orders from Byakuya’s grandfather. She knocked and entered.   
He was looking over some documents while getting dressed for his coronation.   
“What can I assist you with…,” he paused to look up. When he saw Midori, he rushed to her and hugged her. “It’s been so long, how are you?”   
She hugged him back, “I have been doing as expected.” She did not smile like she would normally.   
“You look like you haven’t had any sleep.” He rubbed his thumbs under her eyes. She allowed him to do pretty much whatever without a fuss.   
“I am fine. You need to worry about yourself, Captain Kuchiki.” He continued to finish his hair, placing kenseikan in it.   
He turned and smiled at her, “It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”   
She wanted to laugh, she felt it come from her stomach, but it resulted in nothing. The depression she had was something that rang true for her. She did not want to enjoy anything. She wanted to disappear. Maybe it would make everything better for everyone.   
He walked over to her and grabbed her cheeks, peering into her eyes, “Midori, you aren’t feeling well, are you?”   
She jerked her face from his grip and stared at the kenseikan that was laying on his desk, “Here let me.”   
She pulled the kenseikan from his hair that was messily placed. He sat down in a chair facing a mirror so that he could see what she was doing. She placed three kenseikan in the middle of his head to pull down three strands of hair to make bangs. She then placed two on the right side of his head above his ear to pull back some of his hair out of his face, “You hair is so unruly, Byakuya.” He smiled at her saying his name. A blush appeared on his face, but then remembered that he had an appointment after his coronation with a girl that would become his wife.   
When Midori was finished, she pulled hair on the left side around his shoulder, and he grabbed her hand. He stood up and kissed Midori on the lips. She did not feel anything. She knew he was kissing her, but she could not feel the love that was once there. He had done this before when he was younger, and she felt a little bit of feelings toward him, but now all that was gone. It wasn’t that she did not like Byakuya, it was the fact that Kisuke took that part of her away with him when he abandoned her.   
“I had to do that one last time before I get married. Midori, you will always have an important place in my heart, even if I marry.”   
“You should not reserve any place in your heart for me. You never know what kind of person she may be. She may be the love of your life. Respect her and care for her, Byakuya. Enjoy your time with her and never place anything before her.”   
She turned her head to the side to peer into his face. He was staring at the ground at his feet. He hugged her again, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you, Midori. All I have ever wanted to do was keep you safe.”   
“Use that to love your wife in my place. I will be fine from now on.”   
She squeezed him tight, feeling that she could be honest with him, “Can I be honest,” he shook his head in agreement, “You asked me how I was. I need to tell someone.”   
“Tell me,” he encouraged her, rubbing her back.   
“You know the hardest thing for me since I left that cell is living. I have wanted to die for so long that I just now think there is no way for me to escape this hell. I hear people calling me a traitor. I hear people blaming me for so many people’s deaths and disappearances when the real people who deserve to hear these things are far from their slander. I think of ways, ways to end it, and all I can manage is crying. Why couldn’t you just let me die? Why couldn’t you all just let Commander Yamamoto kill me in my Hollow form. Why do I have to live with all this pain? It’s your fault for loving me so much.” Midori fell to the ground at Byakuya’s feet.   
He just stood there defeated, holding her hand that she left in his. He didn’t know what to do. A hug, a kiss, nothing would help her. She was broken. He saw that. He saw how she hated herself. He squatted down to look at her. Tears were falling from her, and the sound she made was raspy and uncontrollable.   
“Midori, why can you not just love yourself,” he tucked a piece of flyaway hair behind her ear, “You bring so many people joy just being alive. I know I meddled in your life and was one of the people who pleaded for your life, and I don’t regret that. Midori, I told you long ago that I love you. I told you I wanted you beside me. I knew where I was going. I would have protected you. The reason why I wanted you then is the same reason why I wanted to keep you alive now. You are the reason for any man to fight for. Those fools out there in the Seireitei who say those things about you don’t get to see the woman I see when you are around me. Put a smile back on your face, enjoy the life you have. If you won’t let me love you, let someone love you. You deserve happiness. You deserve love.”   
He pulled the mirror over to Midori and got behind her. He pulled her wavy mess of hair away from her face, “Look at this woman in front of you, right now. She is deserving of something. She is a bright ray of light in a room so dark you cannot see. Midori see what others see in you for the love of God. Don’t let depression win over you when I know you are better than that.” He hugged her from behind and kissed the back of her head. 

*****  
She left the 6th division barracks a little better than when she came. The voices of those who stood and talked about her just bounced off of her as she walked. She knew she couldn’t see his coronation, but she was happy for him. As she walked back to the 4th division, a pair of 6th division members were following her. They were two low ranking members of the 6th division, but they wanted to make a name for themselves. They cornered Midori thinking that if they took her life, they would rise in the ranks. One of them pulled out their Zanpakuto from their side and yelled at Midori as they lunged at her. The blade cut across her forearm, cutting the veins in her right wrist. She grabbed it with her left hand and jumped back.   
She held her hand on the area hard making sure that she wouldn’t bleed to death, “What the hell is your problem?!”   
“Well, seeing as you are the traitor of the Seireitei, wouldn’t it be fitting if your sentence was carried out properly.”   
He went to lunge at her again, but this time Seigi appeared and held her axes in his hands. Her eyes widen at the sight of him, “You move without my say!”   
“Of course, to protect you idiot!”   
He swung at them until they turned tail and ran away. Seigi rushed to Midori’s side. She was still holding her wrist. It was gushing more blood than her hand could stop. She commanded him to return, and she walked the best she could back to the 4th division barracks. Her vision blurred as she made it to the main gate and passed out. Hanataro found her and immediately began Kaido on her wrist. It closed the wound on her right wrist but left the scar. He had not been that skilled with Kaido, not like Captain Unohana. He then called for others to help move her to her room.   
When news reached Shunsui about Midori slicing her wrist, he rushed from the 8th division. Captain Unohana met him at the door to Midori’s room, “She is resting, now. We had to give her some blood, but I think she will be fine.”   
“What happened? When did it happen?”   
“The details are not clear, but Hanataro found her at the gate, healed her, and had her moved here.” Shunsui walked in to see Midori’s uniform had dried blood on it and her wrist was scarred horribly. He sat down beside her and waited for her to gain consciousness.   
It was midnight before she awoke. Shunsui had dozed off a little, but when she moved, he woke up.   
“Midori,” his voice was quiet, but it alerted her, “Why did you do it?”   
Midori was confused, “Do what?”   
He continued concerned about her well-being, “Hurt yourself. Can you not confide in me anymore? I will listen to you. If you want to talk for hours or just sit in silence around me, I will be there for you. Please, don’t leave me.”   
She was shocked at his last statement that she could not even answer his inquiry about her injury. She hugged him. She wanted to feel that same safety she felt as a kid when she lost her parents. She wanted to feel that happiness she felt over the years living with him. The same love that he has always had for her. That fatherly affection. She could feel it in the warmth of his hug that penetrated her cold body.   
“I didn’t do it. I was attacked, today. Two idiots thought that if they killed me that they would be getting justice.”   
Shunsui’s disposition changed from concern to anger. He was pissed at the fact that someone would go that far, “Do you know what division they were from?”   
“I could say the 6th since that was where I was coming from, but I really don’t know. If it wasn’t for Seigi, I would have been dead.”   
A green light appeared beside of her, “You called my name, My Lady?” Seigi appeared before them.   
“Does he do this often?” Shunsui asked.   
“A good Zanpakuto comes when their master calls them or when they sense their master is in danger. I will never let Midori come to harm. I will never allow for my resolve to falter as long as my lady wishes me to be by her side,” he pulled Midori’s wrist that was scarred and kissed the scar, “I pledge myself to her, always.”   
Shunsui was surprised at how strong Midori’s Zanpakuto’s spirit was, and what kind of relationship she had with him. It was like a big brother protecting his sister. He knew that she was in good hands even if he was not around.   
“Get some rest, kiddo. I will see you, tomorrow.” He rubbed her head and walked over to the balcony door. He sat down just outside and fell asleep in the moonlight. Midori smiled which caused Seigi to be shocked.   
He bent down and touched her cheek, “Midori, are you changing, again?”   
“I guess so. I think it’s time for a change, don’t you think so, Seigi?” He smiled at her, patted her head like Shunsui, and disappeared back into her Zanpakuto.   
Midori grabbed her blanket and went outside to Shunsui. She placed herself into his arms like she was a child and fell asleep in his arms. She needed some kind of therapy to get back what she had lost and being within arm’s reach of her uncle was good therapy. It reminded her of the time in her life when she did not have to worry about people watching her, calling her names, or plotting to kill her. She felt safe for the first time in a long time. She was changing, but it was to regain that part of her she lost to Kisuke. She would regain herself, and she would face him again, one day.


	10. In Order to Gain a Position

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories.....
> 
> Midori received all the blame for Aizen's plot against the Soul Society with the Hogyoku. Kisuke abandoned Midori who was imprisoned in the Central Underground Prison for five days while the seal that is holding her new friend, a Hollow, at bay. It was a gift from the night before. Midori breaks both her arms while in prison and is taken to Captain Unohana not long after. Being stripped of her title in the 6th division, she is transferred to the 4th division under the watchful eye of Retsu Unohana. After recovering, she goes to see Byakuya to only be attacked on her way back to the 4th division. What will happen to Midori after such a tragic event?
> 
> And now.....Chapter Ten: In Order to Gain a Position....

The room to the 5th division office was dark, but Sosuke Aizen was still seated at his desk. He was waiting for someone to come and receive orders from him. The door suddenly slid open, and a shadow appeared. He looked at the shadow and produced a malicious smile.   
The shadow walked closer, “I want you to bring someone to the underground room of these barracks.”   
A fanciful voice came from the shadow, “Who has gotten you all upset, Lord Aizen?”   
“A girl. One that no one will miss. You want to prove your loyalty to me, so I want you to bring the girl to me. You can accomplish this much, right?” The shadow hesitated. He knew that whatever Aizen wanted to do to this girl would be horrific.   
He thought back to the only other person that he had ever saw Lord Aizen send men to torture and that was Rangiku Matsumoto. He would never carry it out himself. Gin knew what kind of man Aizen way. He would always seek others to do his dirty work, and in a way, he was accepting of that fact about him. He cringed at thinking that it was her.   
“If he tells me to bring him Rangiku, I will have to go against him. I will not put her in anymore danger,” he stopped his thought abruptly.   
“Don’t worry, it isn’t who you think it is. I want Midori Kyoraku brought to me.” The mysterious kidnapper had heard of her before, but he could not recollect a time when he had met her.   
“I will do as Lord Aizen asks.”   
The shadow left the room and went off to find Midori. Aizen crossed his hands in front of his face while leaning forward on his desk. A wicked smile that reached from ear to ear lit up his face.  
“It’s been a long time since I last saw you, Midori. Maybe this time you will agree with me, if not we will see how I can break you,” he laughed manically at the thought.

*****  
Midori was on her way to visit with her uncle. He had been worried about her for the past few weeks of not seeing her. After the attack on her a year ago, it seemed that their time together had become shorter. She was staying inside of the 4th division barracks like Captain Unohana had asked her to. She was fearful that more members of the Seireitei would try and attack her again. Midori did not care. She just wanted things to go back to normal. She wanted to become an active member in the Soul Society once again.   
She placed her Zanpakuto snuggly on her hips, the medical device in her uniform, and walked into Captain Unohana’s office to let her know that she was going off toward the 8th division. It seemed that none of her uncle’s division members thought any different toward Midori and was one of the reasons she even agreed to let Midori go in the first place.   
“Hi, Captain!” Midori popped her head in. She sounded cheerful, but she was still trying to find that light within herself. She managed a half smile as Captain Unohana looked up.   
“Midori, are you on your way to Captain Kyoraku’s barracks?”   
“Yes, ma’am.”   
Captain Unohana pulled from the side of her desk a box, it had supplies in them, “I want you to drop these off in the 8th division barracks, please.” Midori reached forward. Her scar appeared from under her uniform and caught Captain Unohana’s eyes. “Has it been hurting any since the incident?”   
“No, ma’am. It has been feeling fine. It gives me some issues when it rains, but it’s been fine.” Midori tried to cover it back up.   
“That’s good. Well, I guess you best be off, and Midori, if you cannot make it back here before dark, have Shunsui me send a message. I don’t want you to be traveling at night.”   
Midori bowed to her, “Yes, ma’am.”   
Midori walked toward the gates. She kept hearing people talk about her, still. It had been a year since the attack and the incident with Kisuke, but they still held a grudge against her. She pulled the box closer to her chest and continued walking. She walked toward the 8th division barracks and was stopped by someone masked and cloaked.   
She dropped the box and held her hand on her Zanpakuto, “What do you want?”   
The masked person lunged toward Midori causing her to lose balance. They placed something around her neck and struggled with her for some time. Her Zanpakuto and her medical device fell to the ground before a sharp hand collided with the back of her head and knocked her unconscious. The masked person threw Midori over their shoulder and ran off toward the 5th division underground facility. 

*****  
The room was dark all but a window that shown light through crystal fogged glass. The sound of water dripping caused Midori to open her eyes heavily. Her head was hurting from the blow the masked person had given her, and now, her wrists were hurting from being chained on the what felt to her was a metal chair. She twisted and pulled her body upward to see if the chair would move but figured that it was bolted to the ground when it would not budge. She knew she couldn’t just get up with the chair and run.  
She looked around the dark room to get her eyes to adjust. The more her eyes adjusted, the more she could see. She saw out of the corner of her eye as she turned her head toward the window on her left that a metal table was bolted to the floor behind her with a tray of different metal sharp objects on it. In front of her was another chair that was bolted to the ground and behind it was a metal door. From all views, the room she was in was metal and soundproof. She couldn’t hear anything except the dripping from the faucet that had to be behind her.  
She struggled in the chair for a while, but having her hands restrained behind her back made her remember her time in that cell. A tear fell down her face, and she screamed out! Maybe she was dreaming. She couldn’t be in that place again. She had done her time, for what she was still trying to understand. A laugh came from the door as it opened and in stepped Aizen. He was with the masked person that she recognized from before.  
“Why are you screaming, Midori? Still remembering that cell. I bet it was fairly memorable for you.” He walked to her and grabbed her chin. She hated him. She hated the fact that he used Kisuke and used her to take the blame for everything.   
“What the hell do you want?!”   
“My, what malice in that sultry voice of yours. It would make a man fall for you; you know.” He laughed again.  
The masked person just stood and watched them in their exchange. The more he looked at Midori the more he thought he knew her.   
“Was she a friend of Rangiku’s?” he questioned himself.  
He knew that she was the one that almost every squad member in the Seireitei thought of as a traitor even though that was wiped from her records. Midori caught his eyes or the slits that replaced his eyes.   
“He couldn’t be blind? Wait, I know who that is! I’ve only seen one person that always has their eyes squinted only enough to see. Gin Ichimaru!” she came to the realization in her mind.   
“It seems that Midori has an interest in our masked kidnapper. Shall I show you who brought you here?” Before he could say who, the masked person was, Midori laughed at him. He turned sharp to look back at her. He was confused about why she was laughing. “What is so funny?”  
“You think I don’t know who that is, Aizen. Your kidnapper is the sly fox, Gin Ichimaru.” They both looked at her in shock.   
“How did she know it was me?” he pondered her conclusion. He pulled his mask off and opened his eyes revealing his red irises. His hair was silver and framed his face.  
Midori turned her head to the side and looked up at the window, “You thought you were sly enough to hide those eyes. I have known you for a long time, Gin. What would Rangiku say if she knew you were kidnapping her friends for this twisted wanna be captain?”  
He relaxed his eyes back into squinted position and smiled, “She won’t know, and I doubt she cares since you are the traitor of the Seireitei.”   
Midori’s blood started to boil, “I am NO TRAITOR!”  
“Now, now children. Let the grown up speak.”   
Aizen got closer to Midori, and she spat in his face. It infuriated him. He grabbed her hair and pulled it back causing her head to hurt more. She yelled out in pain. Her neck showed her veins from how hard he was pulling, and she felt a collar around her neck.   
“What is this around my neck? Am I his dog now or something?” she thought.  
She glared at him, “What do you want with me, Sosuke Aizen?”   
“I want you to join me, or you can live down here until you break from the pain of living in a cell, again. Either way, it is your choice.”   
“I will never, and I mean never join you. I don’t agree with anything you want to do to the World of the Living or the Soul Society. I would rather see your corpse burn in Commander Yamamoto’s hands than see you harm anyone ever again!”   
Aizen walked back and forth eyeing Midori who was sneering at him. She was still struggling with the chains on her wrists. She would look periodically at Gin who was still waiting orders from Aizen.  
“Gin, go and get me a bucket of water and sit it beside Midori’s chair.” Gin walked by Midori and went to the dripping sink. He filled one of the buckets under the metal table with water and carried it back over to Midori’s chair and sat it down. He stood on the right side of Midori away from the window.  
Midori saw it immediately after Aizen approached her. He jerked her head back and began pouring water on her face. She gasped for air through the large flooding of water through her mouth and nose. When it stopped, she gasped for air. After getting her breath, Midori looked up. Her face and her uniform were still dry, and the bucket of water was still full beside of her.   
“How? I have never been this affected by his shikai. There has to be something going on as to why I am being drug through one of his illusions,” she questioned herself.  
She looked at Aizen who was staring at her intently, “Do you understand your position, now? I can make a number of things happen to you Midori without even touching you, but what fun would that be.”   
He grabbed her hair and forced real water on her. She struggled to get air again, but the water was just too fast and in vast amounts. This time her clothes, hair, and her face were wet. She gasped for air as the water fell down her face. She jerked forward as best she could in her restraints and stared at the floor. Gin was mortified. He hadn’t seen Aizen torture anyone himself, but now he was not only using his shikai’s powers but also inflicting the torture on her for real.   
Midori jerked from side to side, trying to get herself free. Her fear was what allowed for Aizen’s shikai powers to work on her. She could not control her mind enough to fight against it. She was already exhausted from the overly suppressive anxiety that started to grip tight against her chest and mind. She looked to Gin with eyes that were screaming for him to help her, but he couldn’t. He had his own reason for being there. He had to gain Aizen’s trust, so he could help the person he truly cherished the most. He turned away from her to look at Aizen.  
A maniacal smile found its way onto Aizen’s face. It made him look insane, “Midori, no matter how much danger I place you in, your Zanpakuto will not come to your rescue.” Midori’s eyes widen. She had been wondering what had happened to Seigi. He normally appeared when she was in danger. She looked over at Aizen. “He cannot sense your spiritual pressure, so he doesn’t know you are in danger. That collar on your neck is making sure of that.”   
“People…” she coughed between her words, “will come and find me!”   
“I highly doubt it. We have a plan for that,” Midori raised her eyebrow, “There will be a report filed that you went against orders and went to the World of the Living, and unfortunately, you died at the hands of a Hollow.”   
He turned to look out the window, and Midori started to chuckle. He turned fast to look at her defiant attitude, “You really are a stupid fool. How in the world are you going to get them to believe such nonsense? Besides, you have forgotten a few aspects about your plan.”   
Aizen raised an eyebrow, “What are you talking about?”   
“My Zanpakuto isn’t here, and I would never leave for the World of the Living without it. Also, Captain Unohana knows better than to think I would push myself into that kind of danger. Oh, and the fact that you are completely useless at plans. If that is any indication from your past failures!”   
Aizen was completely fed up. He turned fast and grabbed her cheeks digging his fingernails into her skin. He pulled her face closer, “I will torture you until you give up and beg to be my tool! I don’t care how it happens, or how long it takes. I told you already that you were already mine! So, take it all in Midori, this will be your home from now on!”   
Midori pulled her head back enough to headbutt Aizen in the nose. He jumped away from her and cupped his nose as blood filled his hand. She did not look at him.  
“Gin! Did you bring her Zanpakuto with you?”   
Gin shook his head in disagreement, “I did not realize it until now that she dropped it when I took her.”   
Aizen was pissed off, “Go and look for her Zanpakuto, and begin rumors about her going to the world of the living.”   
Gin bowed and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he looked back at Midori still chained to the metal chair, and Aizen who was now towering down upon her. She looked defeated and it pained him.   
“Rangiku is going to be mad, but it’s the best I can do in these circumstances to protect her,” he finished his thoughts as he left them.

*****  
A member of the 8th division came running into Captain Kyoraku’s office with Midori’s Zanpakuto and the box of supplies in his hand. He heard another set of footsteps running toward his door, it was his long-time friend, Jushiro. He looked upset.   
“What is going on?”   
The squad member began, “We found Miss Midori’s Zanpakuto and this box of supplies abandoned not far from the barracks gate, and your niece was nowhere to be found.”   
“Shunsui, do you know where she is? I cannot sense Midori at all. I have been keeping an eye on her spiritual pressure since she left the cell, and today, her spiritual pressure just disappeared altogether!”   
Shunsui stood up from his desk, “I guess, we need to inform Retsu about this,” he looked at his squad member, “Take a message to Captain Unohana about Midori missing,” he looked at Jushiro, “I thought she would have been here already.”   
Shunsui took her Zanpakuto from his division members’ hands. A green glow appeared and in its place a man stood, he was pissed, “Midori, how many times have I told you not to…” Jushiro and Shunsui looked at him with a confused look on their faces. Shunsui noticed he was Midori’s Zanpakuto spirit. “Where is Midori,” Seigi asked confused?   
“She has went missing,” Shunsui looked calm, but inside, he was worried. Why would anyone kidnap her?   
“What do you mean missing! We need to find her. My lady is all alone, and I cannot protect or help her if I don’t know where she is. When I find the fool who took her, I will kill them, no questions asked.”   
“Can you sense her? Since you are so connected to her, can you pick up any trace of her,” Jushiro asked concerned?   
“I will try.” Seigi closed his eyes and concentrated. He could sense Midori’s spiritual pressure where she was kidnapped and then it ended. His connection with Midori was a little different from most Zanpakuto and their master’s. He was a part of her Soul World, but his soul was never connected to hers. They did not share spiritual pressure and that caused him to only sense her before her spiritual pressure was completely masked. “I can only sense where she was kidnapped from. I don’t feel her presence anywhere after that. Did something horrible happen to my lady?” Seigi was upset.   
He had not been away from Midori like this since he claimed her as his master. Even when she was imprisoned, he could sense her spiritual pressure. The fact that now even that little reassurance was nowhere to be found caused him worry. He had made a sacred vow to the Allfather that Midori would be his only true master, and that he would use all his might to protect her in the name of the Allfather.   
“We need to see if we can find any traces of her. This task will not be something that Old Man Yama will worry with. I think he still has some pauses about her character. The officers and division members will have an issue as well considering the rumor that she is a traitor is something that will unfortunately follow her for the rest of her life. Is there someone who would have…,” Shunsui paused and flashes of who came to see Midori in her cell pushed through his mind, “Aizen.” Jushiro and Seigi looked up at him.   
“Do you think he would kidnap her?” Jushiro was concerned for her safety and, now that she was nowhere to be found, he grasped on to anything that would help him find her.   
“I don’t know, but that is only a guess. He was on the disc of her cell. I never understood why he was there, but if he had something to do with her kidnapping that would explain a lot.” They all made a plan to go and see the captain of the 5th division.

*****  
Gin walked down the path to where he grabbed Midori and found that her Zanpakuto was nowhere to be found. He worried that Aizen would be upset, but then he heard Shunsui, Jushiro and Seigi coming toward the gate, so he jumped in a bush that was across from the gate.   
“We should head over there immediately. If this Aizen is the one from the cell, then Midori is in more trouble than anyone knows.”   
“Seigi, do you know what he wanted from her?”   
“I do not know all the details, but when I felt her spiritual pressure flux in fear, I appeared before her, and he was there hounding her about something. When he saw me, he stopped, saying that he wasn’t finished with her.”   
Shunsui looked defeated. He couldn’t ask Midori. He felt that he would be torturing her to remember what had happened.   
“I have to warn, Lord Aizen,” Gin told himself as he secretly flashed stepped in a different direction toward the 5th division. 

*****  
Midori was breathing hard, again. Aizen was still producing hallucination after hallucination of him drowning her. It was torture to her. His last hallucination had her inside her old prison cell being drowned. The darkness of the room entered her mind and did not leave. She could smell the cold metal that surrounded her and the blood and tears that were produced in those long five days. Aizen stopped momentarily to let Midori recover. When he saw her breathing slowed, he walked over to her and squatted down to look up at her, by this time her legs had been restrained.  
“Midori, will you please stop resisting. I just want to use that Hollow inside of you to enact justice on the Soul Society and the World of the Living.” She did not say anything. It made Aizen even more upset. “Fine! I’ll give you another type of torture. You can be in here all by your lonesome, enjoy.”   
He walked out the door and slammed it shut. The sound echoed in her mind. She could feel fear creep into her mind, but she forced it out. She began jerking her arms and legs away from the chair, but it wasn’t work. She flexed her neck muscles trying to loosen the collar or get it to break, but nothing. She closed her eyes and focused on her spiritual pressure. It was dim. She tried to mediate and help it flux higher, but all attempts failed. She then remembered the spiritual pressure of the being that was with her the day she had been placed in her prison cell. She focused enough to gain a little bit of its strength. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the seal on her left arm. It began to sizzle a little as she tapped into the powers of her Hollow. She needed just enough to get loose. It wasn’t much but it helped her burst the collar on her neck. When she opened her eyes, two golden slits replaced her violet eyes, but the whites of her eyes were still there.   
The collar crumbled onto her lap. Midori closed her eyes again and pushed back the Hollow’s spiritual pressure to replace it with her own, but there was something still dampening her power. She didn’t know what it was until she looked down at her legs. The cuffs on her legs had writing on them. Aizen did not want her getting lose or using her powers to summon her Zanpakuto.   
She only had enough energy to shout, “Damn you, AIZEN! You coward!” her head fell on her chest, and she sat there utterly defeated.  
Upstairs in the office belonging to Aizen, Gin hurried into his office looking flustered, “Captain, Shunsui and Jushiro are headed here. I couldn’t find her Zanpakuto.”   
“I see.” Aizen walked behind his desk and calmed himself down. He looked at how disheveled Gin was, “If you wish to be a part of the plan, make yourself presentable.” Gin calmed himself and stood there with Aizen like nothing was happening. There was a sudden knock on Aizen’s door. “Come in.”   
Aizen had busied himself with the documents on his desk, acting like nothing had happened. When he looked up, he noticed Midori’s Zanpakuto had physically manifested itself and stood next to Shunsui and Jushiro.   
“This is not suspected,” Aizen thought to himself.  
“What can I help you three with?” he questioned them.  
They looked at Gin and then Aizen. Shunsui was bubbling with anger, so Jushiro stepped forward with a calm expression, “We are going around and asking all the captains to keep a look out for Midori Kyoraku. She has gone missing.” Jushiro was lying through his teeth, but in these circumstances, he knew that was the only way to catch Aizen was at his own game.   
“Oh, that is not good. I can send some of my division out to help you look for her if that will help.” Aizen was calm and collected. He did not even allow for Shunsui and Jushiro to question him about her disappearance.   
Seigi went to step forward, but Shunsui held his arm out, “We would appreciate all the help, if you will excuse us.”   
When they got outside, Seigi confronted them, “What the hell! She is somewhere in these barracks. I know it, that sly guy standing beside of that Aizen guy looked like he was about to shit himself.”   
Shunsui was upset like Seigi. He could tell that something was up with Aizen. They began to walk back to the 8th division when Seigi disappeared.   
“Where did he go?” Jushiro asked Shunsui.   
“I don’t know. Do you think he returned back into her Zanpakuto?”   
“I don’t know. Maybe, he couldn’t keep that form long because Midori is not with him.”   
“It really doesn’t matter; we need to find my niece.”   
Seigi took on another form right in front of Shunsui and Jushiro. It was his spiritual, translucent form. It would allow him to look around the barracks to find Midori, but the farther the Zanpakuto was getting from him as Shunsui and Jushiro walked back to the 8th division barracks, the lesser his form would be able to stay hidden and would eventually resort back to his hologram form. He went into Aizen’s office to see him still looking at documents on the table, and Gin was still standing like an idiot beside him.   
Seigi huffed at them, ‘Fools.’ He saw from the corner of his eye that a bookcase had been slide across the floor, recently. He ran right through it to find a dark hallway.   
He rushed to the end of the hallway to find a door. He passed through the door, and there was the person he wanted to see the most, Midori. She was slumped over with water dripping off of her.  
He rushed to her, “Well, you’ve got yourself in a mess this time, princess.”   
She didn’t respond. Her breathing was almost to a stop when he touched her cheek.   
The coldness of his spiritual pressure caused her to look up, “Seigi?” Her voice was weak. She jolted with awareness as if he had come in and recharged her. His connection to her Soul World caused her to be able to see him. She was relieved that he was there, but she still allowed fear to take over her body. She struggled in her chair. “Help me get out of here.”   
Seigi looked at her leg restraints, “These don’t look too friendly. What is that writing on there?” he went to touch them, and a spark sent a pain through his translucent hand, “I don’t think I can take care of them, love.” He walked around her to see her arms bound with the same writing on them. “What the hell are these?”   
“They are spiritual power suppressors. I don’t have any spiritual pressure when I have these on. I need to get out of here, Seigi. Please, get me out of here.” Midori pleaded through tears.   
Seigi could see the fear in her face. She was desperate to be freed. His anger rose inside of him. “I need to do something. I don’t have much time before I become a hologram,” he leveled with himself.   
He walked around the room trying to find something to get her out, but he couldn’t find anything. He saw beside of her chair were turned over buckets of water. Midori kept looking around watching him while she struggled in her chair. The cuffs on her legs started to rub her legs raw. The chains around her wrists were beginning to cut into her wrists. “SEIGI, PLEASE HELP ME!” Midori screamed in fear, tears streaming down her face.  
The doors to her new cell opened and Aizen and Gin walked in. Seigi hugged the wall to walk around them, so that if he popped up in his hologram form, they wouldn’t see him right away.   
Aizen walked up to Midori, “Your Zanpakuto isn’t here to help you, remember.” He cupped Midori’s face. He turned to face Gin, “I want you to stay here with her and watch her. See if you can talk her into it since it seems you two are acquainted. I have things to do.”   
Midori noticed Seigi’s hair was beginning to turn visible, and she had to do something from Aizen seeing him, “AIZEN!”   
He turned quick to face Midori. It was like this was all he wanted to hear her say. He walked back over to her as Seigi slid through the door before he became a complete hologram.   
“Will you let me go if I give in to you and join you?”   
He laughed and bent down to look at her, “Midori, oh no. Tools are not living beings, so why should we let you go.” Midori was mortified. She jerked in her chair, trying to get loose again, but nothing budged. There was nothing she could do but be confined to this place for the rest of her life. “I mean that is until we leave, and then we will find a better cell for you.”   
Midori glared at him and in her last-ditch effort to show him she was fearless, “GO TO HELL, TRAITOR!” He laughed at her words, turning to leave with a smile on his face.   
“She is breaking. Good,” he reassured himself as he left.   
Midori was alone with Gin. He sat down in the chair opposite her and looked up toward the window. Midori watched him for a time. She thought of ways to get him to let her go, but all seemed to fail.   
She then realized, she had to find some kind of sympathy with him and that was Rangiku, “How is she?”   
Gin did not take his eyes off of the window to answer her, “She is fine.”   
“Why are you willing to betray her and join him?” This question caught him off guard.   
He steadied his eyes on the window, “I am doing this because I want to. There are no other reasons behind it.”   
“Gin, I know you more than you think I do. You feel remorse for seeing him hurt me. You remember what he had done to Rangiku.”   
He gripped his fists on his lap. He knew Midori knew about them. Rangiku and Midori had been friends for some time. Midori was always nice to them. She felt the same hate they did for Aizen. She wanted him dead like they did, but he had to use her to get Aizen’s trust.   
“Do you think he won’t find out about your plans? Do you think he will let you live after you try to exact revenge? Why do you need him? Why do you need to hurt her and yourself in order to pay him back for all he has done to you?” her words were hitting him like a brick.   
She sounded like Rangiku, but how else would he get the strength he needed to crush Aizen. The only thing he needed was Aizen’s weakness, and if joining him under false pretenses was the way he could find that out, he would do anything to gain that information. He finally decided to look at Midori. Her clothes were soaked. Her face wore the signs of being afraid, but she was still fighting back.   
“I will help you. I will help you bring him down if you just let me go. Please, Gin. Think of Rangiku. How will she look at you? I won’t tell her about this. I won’t tell her about you and Aizen. I swear. Please, just let me go!” He turned his head away from her. If he looked at her anymore, it would break him.   
Midori was on the cusp of breaking herself. She couldn’t take anymore torture from Aizen. He was beginning to make her go insane. She knew that if she spent the night chained here, she wouldn’t find a way back. She didn’t want to become someone’s tool to hurt others. She hated this Hollow inside of her. She hated herself for being fooled. She didn’t know what else to say to Gin, so she started talking about herself.   
It would probably be the last thing she would ever get to say again that helped her remember who she was, “I have never had one safe place in this world I can go to since my parents died. I’ve always been protected by people, and now, all I will ever do is hurt people. I wanted a good life. I wanted a free life where I could be myself and fall in love and have a family. I wanted to be someone important to someone. I guess all those dreams are just lies I keep telling myself to make me feel better. I won’t hate you, Gin. I won’t ever hate you for doing something you thought was right in your heart. I just ask that when you go to get your revenge, you kill the bastard.”   
Midori was resolved to her life as a slave, a tool for destruction. She didn’t struggle anymore in her chair. She cried. She cried until there was nothing more than just dry heaves coming from her body. She was defeated. She was surrendering to Aizen.  
Gin had stopped looking at the window when Midori was giving her last words. He felt horrible.   
“You won’t hate, huh,” he played with her words in his mind.   
He felt resigned to stop Aizen, but he couldn’t let her suffer. He remembered back to when she had brought Rangiku a bag of dried persimmons. It was the first time he had met Midori. She made Rangiku so happy and that made him happy. He rose from his chair and stood over Midori. Midori saw his shadow, but it didn’t faze her. She wondered if Gin would now torture her. She just stared at the floor. Her arms were heavy, and her legs were beginning to cramp.   
“Can you not just transform into that thing he keeps talking about and get out of here?” She looked up at him. She saw the remorse in his face, and then she saw his crimson eyes that stared down at her wanting her to not give up. “If I let you go, he will know, and my cover will be blown. If you would transform and knock me down, you could flee from here.” He was smart, but he didn’t know about her not being able to control it.   
“I can’t and ensure your safety. I cannot control my Hollow form, I am sorry, Gin.”   
He felt crushed, but he was resigned to help her. He took out a sharp instrument and began scratching the writing off of the cuffs on Midori’s legs and then went around to her back and scratched the writing off of the ones on her arms.   
Midori felt a surge of her spiritual pressure pulse in her body. She pushed it out causing the cuffs to crumble off onto the floor. She looked at Gin who was surprised at the surge of power that came from her. She gave him a soft look and then punched him in the gut. He fell to the ground.   
“I am sorry, but that is payback for kidnapping me. Just lay there and pass out.”   
She ran to the door and flung it open. She raced down the hall and flung open the other door. She saw a wooden wall in front of her with a small crack of light coming from one side. She grabbed the wooden bookcase and slid it against the wall as hard as she would. She then heard a thump as a small box fell out of the bookcase. She walked over to it and picked it up. She opened it and inside was the Hogyoku. It was the same Hogyoku that he had pulled out of his uniform at her cell. She placed it between her breasts to hide it and raced out the door.   
Exhaustion was trying to take over her body, but she had to push herself. The moon had highlighted the sky, and she knew what Captain Unohana had told her about going out at night, but she had to. She made her way to the 8th division as fast as the adrenaline in her body would carry her. 

*****  
Shunsui and Jushiro were sitting in his office. They were waiting to hear news from Commander Yamamoto about what to do about Midori. They had decided that it would be best to get his help in the matter, and unlike what Shunsui said, he was genuinely concerned about her whereabouts. They felt that it was because he couldn’t keep an eye on her and that was what concerned him the most. They had looked everywhere, and there had been no word of her.   
Jushiro looked up at Shunsui, “I can feel her. She exploded her spiritual pressure just, now. It was coming from the 5th division barracks.” Shunsui jumped up and went to run out the door when the doors flung opened and Midori rushed to him.   
She pushed him over to his desk and told him to sit down. He did as she said, and she sat down behind him with her back to his. Jushiro stared at her. Midori rested herself against Shunsui trying to mask her spiritual pressure.   
She took in deep breaths and through them calmed Shunsui and Jushiro, “Just act normal. Aizen is on his way here.” They looked at each other and began talking about normal things when they heard a banging on the door.   
“Come in.”   
Aizen came in out of breath, “Have you heard anything about Midori. I have been out looking for her.”   
Midori’s heart was beating so fast that Shunsui could feel it through his back. He looked up at Aizen, “I haven’t seen her. I haven’t heard from anyone else that they have seen or heard from her either. Thank you for taking the time to look for her.”   
Jushiro looked up at Aizen as to stop from looking at Midori, “We have contacted Commander Yamamoto. He told us to wait for his word. It seems that someone said they last saw her going to the World of the Living.”   
Aizen was stunned that that rumor had gotten to them, and they were using it against him. He knew that he felt her leave his underground facility, and that she came here, but her spiritual pressure had disappeared, again.   
“Well, please let me know if they find her.”   
“We sure will. Thank you again for worrying about her,” Shunsui tried to make his voice not seem sarcastic.   
Aizen closed the door but stayed there to listen in on their conversation, “Now?”  
Shunsui went to turn around to Midori but she whispered, “Not yet.”   
After thirty minutes, Jushiro walked to the door and opened it like he was leaving. When he didn’t see Aizen, he walked back over and shook his head that the coast was clear. Midori let out a huge breath. Her skin was frozen from her now dry clothes, her hair was stuck to her head and frizzy. She was shivering. Shunsui turned around to her and covered her immediately with both his haori and his captain’s jacket. Him and Jushiro looked at her worried. Midori looked up at them.   
“I’m fine,” her words fell on them as she passed out.   
Shunsui pulled her into his lap and let her sleep in his arms, “Where do you think she was? Why was she so cold?”   
Shunsui did not know. He saw the wear on her face and rubbed her cheek. He noticed claw indentions on her jawline, and he saw on her wrists that there were cuts and parts of them were worn and ripped. He looked miserable.   
“Jushiro, I am bad at this, aren’t I? Midori is always in danger. When will she be able to have peace of mind?”   
“It isn’t your fault or hers. She just needs to become tougher. She needs to be able to stand on her own. Midori is strong, but she can’t see how strong she is. I think it would be best if we find a way to help her release her frustrations out while also being able to train her body and mind to become stronger.”   
“I would agree. I cannot always be by her side to help.”   
Suddenly, a green glow came from Midori’s Zanpakuto, and Seigi appeared again. He had felt Midori’s spiritual pressure, “Midori is back, I see,” he sat beside of Shunsui and ran his fingers through her messy hair, “I am sorry, love, that I couldn’t help you this time. I will apologize thoroughly when you are awake.”   
“Seigi, what happened to you when we left the 5th division?” Shunsui asked him.  
He stopped petting her head to look at her uncle. Seigi felt horrible. He hated not being able to help her. He searched for the words, “I found her in that cell under the 5th division. They had her cuffed by her arms and legs with sealed cuffs, so she couldn’t use her spiritual pressure. They had to have been doing something with water that made her afraid because she was in so much pain. When she distracted them to let me escape before they saw me, I fled to come back and tell you, but my powers just faded, and I found myself back in her Zanpakuto. It was like Midori was holding me there. I couldn’t move and all I could do was fear for her. I am just glad she is back in safe hands.”   
Seigi disappeared after his explanation in order to atone for his failure in not helping Midori like he pledged to do. Jushiro and Shunsui were speechless. They did not know what to say. They couldn’t just go against another captain without proof. They couldn’t start an internal war with him in order to stop him from hurting her. They felt that all the power they had was useless.   
Midori turned and her eyes fluttered opened. She had only taken a short nap, but it felt like she was rested enough. She looked over to her left and saw Jushiro sitting there. He noticed her eyes open and smiled at her. It was like a spark flew into her. She leaped from Shunsui’s lap and reached into her uniform. Shunsui and Jushiro stared at Midori confused until she produced the little box from her breast.   
“What is it?” they asked her in unison.   
She opened it to reveal a ball of blue light that was encased in a clear square, “This is the Hogyoku. It is the same thing that Commander Yamamoto claimed Kisuke used to go against the Soul Society.” They looked at it in amazement.   
“Midori, what happened to you? Who kidnapped you?” Shunsui grabbed her shaking her.   
“Don’t you understand this is more important. We can throw Aizen in prison. He was the one who went against the Soul Society.”   
“Midori, this will only incriminate us,” Shunsui grabbed the box and closed it.   
He opened the drawer with the camera feed in it. Midori saw the disc labeled ‘Central Underground Prison footage’ and froze.   
“You have that? Why?” she pointed to his drawer.   
“That’s not important. What is important is you tell us who had you? What happened while you were there?”   
Midori’s fist fell by her side. She had grabbed something that would incriminate them. She had failed again in showing the Soul Society how Aizen had tricked them.   
She blurted out everything, “Aizen had me! He had me, he tried to drown me! He wanted to torture me until I broke! He wanted me to become part of his plot to take over the Soul Society! He wanted to use me as a tool and enslave me for the rest of my life! He came to my cell in the prison and tried the same thing,” Midori looked down and for an instant a different spiritual pressure formed in her, and her eyes became slits again and her eyes were blacking out, “He wants to use me to kill everyone!” Her voice was shrill and for a moment Jushiro and Shunsui saw the eyes of a Hollow staring right back at them. Their heart rates increased as they held their hands out to her.   
“Midori, calm down,” Shunsui called to her.   
The Hollow inside of Midori was trying to get out, but she was struggling with it. The strain on her body today caused the seal to weaken on her arm. Midori saw through those evil eyes the two people who cared about her the most. She saw the fear in their eyes or was it pity? She calmed herself within, and then her eyes became hers again. She fell to the floor, crying. Jushiro and Shunsui rushed to her.   
“Midori, it’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay,” Jushiro was rubbing her back.   
“I am tired of feeling helpless all the time. How do I become strong like you two?”   
“Training and confidence, I am afraid.” She looked up at Jushiro and cracked a smile.   
“I want to learn how to control this Hollow inside of me. I want to be able to walk freely around the Seireitei without worrying about being attacked or hurt. I want to be like I was before I met Kisuke Urahara.”   
Shunsui knelt down beside of her, “Good. We can help you accomplish that.” Midori didn’t ask how, but she trusted them to help her.   
Shunsui helped Midori to her old room and made sure her balcony door was locked, and her main door was secure before he left her there to rest. He walked back into his study to speak with Jushiro, “What do you think we should do with this box?”   
As Jushiro was about to speak a division messenger came in, “I need you to take this message to Captain Unohana of the 4th division and fast. Also, make sure that no one intercepts it, and that it is safely delivered.”   
When the messenger left, Jushiro answered, “I think this is something we need to take to Commander Yamamoto. Midori is still right. We may not have caught him with it, but she found it in his possession. If Commander Yamamoto trusts Midori like he has told us, he will believe her.”   
“I just don’t want her to be confined to that cell, again. You saw what her being kidnapped and that cell has done to her. I just hope we can find a way for her to strengthen herself before she completely breaks, and she becomes what Old Man Yama suggested in the beginning.”   
“I agree.”   
Jushiro was upset that Midori was going through all of this. She didn’t deserve being treated like a tool of war. She didn’t deserve to have her love turned against her. She deserved to be a free Shinigami of the Seireitei and enjoy her life. 

*****  
The messenger made it to the 4th division to give Captain Unohana the message. She took it quickly and read it,   
“We have her. We need you to come as soon as possible. Her seal has broken, we think.”  
Captain Unohana wasted no time. She got her stuff and rushed over to the 8th division. She did not stop to knock on Shunsui’s office before entering, “Where is she? I need to see her.”  
Shunsui did not speak, he led Unohana to Midori’s room. Midori was still awake. Sitting in the middle of her bed. She stared at them when they entered, “Captain?” Midori reached her hands out and Unohana closed the gap between them. She hugged Midori like she was her daughter.  
She had Midori open the side of her uniform to show her the seal and went to work resealing it. Midori kept apologizing over and over again, but Unohana calmed her by telling her it wasn’t her fault, and that bad people do bad things to good people. With the strain on her body from the seal being resealed, Midori felt exhausted. She fell back on her bed after clothing herself and fell asleep. Captain Unohana smiled at her childlike posture, covered her up, and exited the room.   
She went back into Shunsui’s office. She had a look on her face that could kill, “I want to know what happened.”   
Shunsui and Jushiro flinched at the demeanor of her voice, and then began to tell her what was going on. Unohana was mortified. Shunsui pulled from his desk the Hogyoku and showed it to her. She agreed with Jushiro about telling Commander Yamamoto about it and turning it over to Central 46, the government of the Seireitei. If somehow Aizen found it again, it would mean problems for them.   
Shunsui finally agreed; however, before Unohana could leave he had a question for her, “Do you know who could help Midori control that Hollow?”   
She thought to herself for some time. There really wasn’t someone in the Seireitei that could help her, but she wanted to help Midori, “The most I could help her with is how to seal and unseal it. I could teach her how to fight, but I don’t know how much I could actually do compared to her own ability.”   
“We may need to ask Commander Yamamoto. He may be able to help us help her,” Jushiro suggested. They didn’t know what they needed to do to help Midori, but perhaps going and seeing Commander Yamamoto would help them. 

*****  
The next morning, Midori awoke to Shunsui nudging her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him. It was the first time she slept so well in a while. Her body was completely light and full of energy.   
“We need to get going. You wanted to do something about that box, right.”  
Midori leapt out of bed and got ready. When her and Shunsui got to the gate outside of the 8th division barracks, Jushiro and Retsu was there. They all walked to the 1st division together making sure that no one could get to Midori from any side. Midori was happy that they cared about her so much.  
In the 1st division, Commander Yamamoto was waiting for them, “I see Midori has been recovered. Where was she?”   
“Old Man Yama, Midori apparently uncovered something from her captor that we need to release into your care,” Shunsui stepped forward and handed Commander Yamamoto the box.   
He opened it and anger filled the room, “What is the meaning of this?! Midori, where did you come across this?” Midori was nervous, and she looked up to Shunsui.   
He nodded his head for her to tell him, “When I was taken prisoner yesterday by Sosuke Aizen, I found it as I was trying to escape. It was hidden in a bookcase in his office.”   
“Are you saying that Sosuke Aizen is a traitor to the Soul Society? What other proof do you have other than a box that this girl has brought to us?”   
“Commander Yamamoto, Midori has always been trustworthy. Why would she do this to cause problems for others?” Retsu stepped in front of her.   
Talking to Commander Yamamoto seemed to go just like Shunsui had thought until Commander Yamamoto came closer to them. It was like ears were everywhere in the 1st division.   
“Step aside, Retsu.” Retsu moved out of his way, and he walked to Midori. He placed his hand on her head, and she looked up at him.   
“I swear to you, Grandfather Yamamoto, that Sosuke Aizen is the one who had the Hogyoku. I was just bringing it to you so that we could stop him from hurting others.”   
“What did he want with you, Midori?”   
“He wanted to make me into a weapon to use against the Soul Society and the World of the Living.”   
“I see. Well, we will have to put a kink in his plans.”   
“Old Man Yama, what do we do? Midori wants to learn to control her Hollow and become a stronger asset to the Seireitei. What do you suggest she do?” Shunsui asked him.   
“I will have to look into this. We may yet need her powers ourselves. Midori would you learn to use this Hollow form just to help us?”   
She shook her head, “Yes, Commander Yamamoto. I will do anything that ensures the safety of the Soul Society and the World of the Living.”   
He shook his head, “Give me three days. I will find a way to help Midori. I will take this and place it with Central 46. Is there anything else?” With nothing else to be covered, he dismissed them.   
Jushiro and Shunsui walked toward the 8th division, and Midori walked back with Captain Unohana to their barracks. Before going their separate ways, Midori hugged her uncle and Jushiro and thanked them for always being there for her. Midori’s world was changing, and she had to make a move.   
“Am I going to allow those with evil intentions to use me, or will I take my stand and create my own path?” Midori pondered this all the way to the 4th division barracks.


	11. A Decision of Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori was kidnapped by Aizen to torture and make his slave, but she is rescued by an unlikely friend. On her way out of the 5th division, she finds the Hogyoku and takes it back with her to the 8th division for safe measures. Midori goes with Shunsui, Retsu, and Jushiro to Commander Yamamoto to take him the Hogyoku for safe keeping. Midori makes the decision to try and control the Hollow within her. Leaving the 1st division with Commander Yamamoto's word to find her someone to train her.
> 
> And now....Chapter Eleven: A Decision of Determination....

Captain Unohana had been training Midori in the art of herbal teas, again. She was learning so much from her that would prepare her mentally, emotionally, and physically. Commander Yamamoto had not found anyone that could help Midori train with her Hollow. He had informed Shunsui that he was still looking because it was essentially important to assure that Midori could control it.  
Midori had been quite lonely as of late. She had tried to bury the feelings of betrayal from Kisuke Urahara, and a new captain had been assigned to the 12th division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She hadn’t visited the Institute in years. Time in the Soul Society had finally for some got back to normal, but for Midori it was far from normal. She still had the sting of regret from trusting Kisuke. She had the resentment that fueled a hate for him that she felt would never subside.   
She stared off as Captain Unohana was instructing her to check up on Captain Ukitake. She was thinking about Kisuke, thinking about how she loved him, and how her love for him betrayed her own creed to always be herself. A tear slid down her cheek, and then she snapped out of it when she felt Captain Unohana’s hand on top of her own hand.   
“Why did she have to think about him?” Captain Unohana questioned herself.  
It had been several years since his betrayal on the Soul Society, but she still had the pain of being abandoned. She looked at Captain Unohana, who repeated what she had recently said to make her instructions clear. She handed Midori a large box and sent her on her way.  
It was a cruel world that he left her in. She not only lost her rank and was transferred to the 4th division, but she felt alone in the Seireitei. She felt everyone was blaming her, calling her a traitor for falling in love with the wrong man. There were five people who did not feel that way, Captain Unohana, Commander Yamamoto, Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, and Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. They were there when Aizen had turned several members of the 13 Court Guard Squad into Visoreds and she had to bear the blame for it. They were her friends, too, well most of them. She had gotten to know them well over the years, especially Rose and Kensei. She missed them and the way she would carry on with them.   
Finally, she made her way to the 13th division barracks. There she was greeted by Kaien Shiba, “Midori, why are you here?”   
“I have come to administer the regular treatment to Captain Ukitake for Captain Unohana.”   
She did not look into his eyes. She felt she could see his pity even from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, two younger squad members came up from behind her.   
It was Kiyone Kotetsu, a blonde hair girl and Isane Kotetsu’s sister, and Sentaro Kotsubaki, a stout man and the son of Jin’emon, “Are you sure we can trust her to help the Captain?” Kiyone questioned Lieutenant Shiba.   
“Are you sure she won’t try and curse him instead. I mean she was--” Sentaro was interrupted by Lieutenant Shiba, who was not happy with their questions.   
“I think the best thing you two should do is leave. Midori is still a Soul Reaper, and she knows her duties. She will not neglect them or harm the Captain. Go ahead inside, Midori.”   
She bowed and walked forward and faced ahead of her with no shame showing on her face. She felt it, though. They were right to question her. She had been with a traitor. She had been with Kisuke. Her mind was still sorting out things about him. She knew that he had been blamed for the Hollowfication incident, but he did have a hand in creating the Hogyoku and so did she. She knew that he was not a really a traitor to the Soul Society, but he was a traitor to her. What bothered her the most about him and the reason behind her hate for him was that he abandoned her. He used her, and she was heartbroken even after being away from him for the past three years.   
She opened the door to Captain Ukitake’s room to find him sitting on the floor behind a short desk. His room was a little larger than her room in the 4th division. There was a rolled up futon in the corner of the room on the right side of the balcony door. There was a large cabinet with an ornate design that saw to the left of the door, and a book case that sat behind his desk. The end of his desk was pushed against the wall on the left side of his balcony door. He did not look up when she entered.   
“How are we doing today, Captain Unohana?” It was like a normal thing for him, but today he was wrong with who was in his room. He looked up with a smile on his face, and then his eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, Midori! I did not know you were coming, today.” She did not hold his gaze. He could feel she had not gotten back that confidence she once had. She walked to his desk, staring at a blank piece of paper.  
“I will ask that you please come and lay down on your futon, so that we can commence with the medical check-up, Captain Ukitake.”   
He kind of cringed when he heard her being so direct and formal. Normally, when they were alone, she would call him Jushiro or on some occasions Captain Jushiro, but she began to distance herself from everyone in the Soul Society, only allowing her body to move with the emotions of everyday normality. She had become defected from feelings because of that betrayal, even though she had said she wanted to become stronger, her feelings of depression and being abandoned always won over her. She felt that she was utterly useless to everyone.   
He obliged her without hesitation and laid down on the futon she had pulled to the center of his office. She got down on her knees and opened the box that Captain Unohana gave her and got out all the things she would need. She reached in her sash around her waist and pulled out a clear bag of green liquid.   
“Captain Ukitake, please do not feel uncomfortable, but can you please remove the part of you uniform that covers your chest.”   
Jushiro was stunned by her sudden request. Captain Unohana had never done that to him before. A blush had creeped on his face, but he did as she asked.   
“To explain, I will apply an ointment that I have perfected that will allow for Kaido to enter into the body at a faster rate and become concealed in the body for a longer time before remission time.”   
She still did not hold his gaze. She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t let him see the darkness that she knew was behind her eyes. He laid back down on the futon and watched her face. He could see a shadow across her face that was not normal for her demeanor, and it concerned him.  
Midori turned from Captain Ukitake and used a calming Kaido on herself. She felt somewhat better. She turned back around and placed a false smile on her face and began rubbing the green liquid on Jushiro. The green liquid like gel was what Midori called chiyu jeru. It was a healing type of gel that she had worked on over the past year with Captain Unohana. She mainly created it in order to help others, but she only had Jushiro on her mind when she started its creation. She wanted to help him with his illness. His illness was something that was still a mystery to her, and she wanted to help him as much as she could. She wanted to return his kindness he showed to her so many times.   
His face wrinkled like it stung, but it was just cold, “Sorry, it is cold. I will have to find a way to not make it so in the future.”   
When the liquid was completely over his body, Midori placed her hands over Jushiro, and a green light began to illuminate on Jushiro’s chest from her hands. He closed his eyes and allowed for the Kaido to do its work. It was different from the many other times that Captain Unohana had done Kaido on him. He felt the gel enter into his body as it was absorbed with the Kaido. It made his chest feel lighter than it had ever felt. After a few minutes, the green liquid and the glow had disappeared. Jushiro went to get up, but Midori pushed his shoulders down on the futon.   
“I need to do a check up on you, please allow me to finish my duty, Captain Ukitake.” He agreed with her by nodding his head, and she went to examine his body.   
After making the necessary scans with the medical device that Captain Unohana gave her, Midori bent down and placed her ear on Captain Ukitake’s heart. She could head the raspy sound from his lungs begin to disappear, and his strong heartbeat reassured her that he was in a healthier condition. Jushiro’s face was beet red, and he was getting hot and bothered by her face being on his chest.   
“You may dress.”   
She rose form his chest and turned back to her box to pull out the tea and medicine to give Jushiro, but when her back was to him, he did not dress, but leaned forward and pulled Midori into his arms.   
“Captain Ukitake, what are you doing?”   
Midori did not sound happy, but she wasn’t upset, either. She was confused. He held her in his arms not wanting to let her go, but he loosened his grip around her.   
Midori went to get up, but Jushiro grabbed a hold of her again, “No.” Midori realized that she was not going to be able to leave until Jushiro explained his reasons for grabbing her, “I can’t stand seeing you like this. I can’t stand to see the happy, loveable Midori that I have known for years turn into a lifeless person.” She was shocked to hear his words.   
“Does he really care about how I’m feeling? Does my actions hurt others like it does him?” she questioned herself.  
She turned her face sideways to look at him out of the corner of her eye. He caught her gaze and kept it. He could see the darkness that Midori did not want anyone to see. He could see the product of the war that was raging inside of her mind.   
“How long has that war been raging in her mind over what had happened several years ago?” Jushiro asked himself.   
He leaned forward placing his forehead against the side of her head, “Lean on me, Midori. Lean on me and let me help you.”  
Midori pulled from Jushiro, but his hold on her would not budge. She couldn’t let him get near her. She couldn’t let him see the hate in her heart. He wouldn’t like her, anymore. No one would like her if they knew the darkness that filled her every being. Jushiro let up on his grip enough to turn Midori to face him. She had no choice but to look at him. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. Midori’s eyes widen in shock.   
“Why is Jushiro kissing me? Is this something that I want? Do I still have feelings for him?” Midori mind filled with questions as she kissed him back. Tears fell from her eyes. She could not hold them back.   
Jushiro pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her eye lids, “Midori, I’ve waited long enough. I want you to allow me to make you happy. I have lived a long time, and you are the first woman that I have met that makes my heart move.”   
Midori blushed while she stared at the bundled kimono that was still hanging around his waist, “I am too damaged for you to love. I don’t even know if I can give you love in return, would that not be a problem?”   
Jushiro cupped her cheeks and pulled her face to his, “No. Let me love you enough so that one day you can return my love.”   
Midori hugged Jushiro. It was the first real positive emotion she had felt in so many years. It even sounded so familiar to her, those words. Were they words she had spoken once to a man she thought loved her?   
They stayed like that for some time. No one in the 13th division bothered them. Midori cried a really good cry in his arms. She couldn’t even move from Jushiro’s shoulder. He laid his head on hers and rubbed her back. He knew that she had kept so much inside. She had the feelings of betrayal, failure, and loneliness in her heart. When she raised her head, he took her face into his hand again and kissed her head. She smiled for the first time in years in front of him. A smile that struck Jushiro’s heart. It was not like the smile he saw when she went to the Lights Festival all those years ago, and it wasn’t like her normal happy smile. It was a smile of understanding, and a smile she could control.   
“I meant what I said. I love you, Midori. I love all of you, even that which you think is damaged.”  
He pulled her onto the futon, and he placed himself on top of her. He kissed her lips and then her neck. Midori laid there and allowed him to do what he wanted. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him, and it wasn’t that she was numb to the world and to Jushiro’s feelings, but she didn’t have the power to stop him and inside of her heart and mind, she did not want to stop him. Jushiro stopped when he reached her breast and went back to her face. He kissed her head and sat beside of her placing his uniform back on. He looked at her from the corner of his eye to see her lift her arm over her face. He could hear her sobs. He stared at the ground and just waited.   
Midori through her tears called to him, “Jushiro, it isn’t that I don’t have feelings for you. I know it has been several years since he left me, but I still feel him in my heart. It is like he has planted a seed inside of me, and I cannot get rid of him no matter what I do. I had feelings for you before I was with him and those feelings are still there. Please, just give me some more time. I promise that I will not enter into a relationship with you while I still hold on to this baggage. It would not be fair to you.”   
She sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes, and cleaning up her face. She grabbed the tea and the medicine and read the instructions that Captain Unohana gave her to him before depositing them into his hands, grabbing her box, and running from his room. Jushiro gripped the medicine and tea in his hand and threw it across the room. It landed next to the sliding door to the balcony. He hated that he did that to her when she was still healing. He went back to his desk and tried to concentrate on his work, but Midori’s eyes plagued his head.   
“That darkness has to be penetrable. I will find a way for you to be happy again, Midori. This I swear.”

*****  
Midori ran past Kaien who was still standing at the door. Her uniform was all jumbled, and he noticed. He went to say something to her, but he saw the tears in her eyes as she ran. He did not know what to make of the situation, but if what he could hear from that room, his captain had just expressed his feelings to her, and she couldn’t reciprocate them. He leaned against the wall and watched her disappear from the barracks.   
Midori ran out past the barracks to a secluded place she knew she could be alone. She hid herself behind a large tree and cried her eyes out again. How long had she been keeping tears in? Why could she not just forget him and move on? Why was she hurting people again? The weight of so much baggage radiated out of her body, and finally, she fell asleep under that big tree.   
It was a few hours later that a shadow appeared over her, it was Kenpachi Zaraki. He was a very tall man with long spikey hair that had bells on the end. He had a long scar that covered the left side of his face. He was rough to look at. His personality was all about fighting. Anything that would prove him to be the strongest. He had a little pink haired girl with him named Yachiru Kusajishi. She was hanging off his right shoulder, looking down at Midori.   
“Kenny, look she is sleeping here, just like you do.” Her high-pitched voice stirred something inside of Midori. She opened her eyes, rubbing them to see Captain Zaraki standing before her.   
“I am sorry, Captain Zaraki, please forgive me for sleeping here against this tree.” He ignored her words to sit beside of her and leaned against the tree. Yachiru sat between them staring at her feet.   
“Girl, why have you been crying?” The concern in his voice surprised Midori.   
She had heard stories about the new Kenpachi captain of squad 11. She was confused as to why he would have any concern for her.   
She chose her words carefully, “I’ve been holding in things for too long. It was time they got the better of me.”   
Kenny chuckled, “If you allow everything to build inside of you until they burst, there would be nothing left for people to do. Why worry about such things that you cannot change?”   
“I know by now you have heard about me. I’m Midori Kyoraku the “traitor” of the Seireitei.” She placed her hand on her chest like it was an honor to be called that. She then drooped her head down and stared at the grass.   
Kenny peered at her from the corner of his eye, “I see no traitor here. You cannot change anything about some bastard who used you to betray the Seireitei. You cannot help the fact that you fell for someone who had not intentions of including you in his future. To sit here and let those tears take over your very soul is a waste of your talents, and the fact they placed you with Captain Unohana is a waste as well, but seeing that they needed someone to keep an eye on you, it makes sense.”   
Midori turned her head to gawk at Kenny, “My talents? You have me mistaken with someone else. The only talents I have are being a gofer for the captains of the Seireitei.”   
“So, I guess I don’t get to see the legendary Soul Image or the Life and Death Zanpakuto that I have heard so much about. What a pity. I was so looking forward to it.”   
Midori’s mind filled with her past memories, “I had completely forgotten what it was like to be independent without having to lean on anyone. Under the supervision of former Captain Kuchiki, he never allowed me to go on missions, but that one time and it ended badly for me. He used me as a spy to give him information about the other divisions. The last time I used Seigi in his shikai form against an enemy was before I made rank. I wonder if I still have it in me?’   
“What would you have me do, Captain Zaraki?”   
He eyed her again and smiled, “I would have you stop having this pity party and train yourself. I think the potential you have is going to waste, and I am sure Captain Unohana would allow you to train in order to find yourself.” He closed his eyes and began to snore. Midori rose from the tree, Yachiru watched her bow and walk away.   
Midori returned the box Captain Unohana gave her. Captain Unohana saw a small hint of determination in Midori, and it made her smile.   
“Captain Unohana with your permission, may I train with my Zanpakuto to become stronger and find my purpose in the Soul Society, again? I know that we have been waiting on Commander Yamamoto, but since there hasn’t been any news in years, I would like to find my own training.”   
Captain Unohana clasped her hands together and studied Midori for a while, “I will have to clear it with Commander Yamamoto, but I am sure there will be no problem with it.”  
Midori smiled and went off to do her work preparing ointments and herbs for healing. Captain Unohana walked off toward the 1st division barracks to speak with Commander Yamamoto.  
Commander Yamamoto was standing by his window looking out at the Soul Society, “Retsu, why have you come to speak with me? Has something developed with Midori?”   
Captain Unohana hesitated, but then grabbed her confidence to ask, “Midori wants to train with her Zanpakuto and find her place in the Soul Society.”   
“That is out of the question! I still have had no luck in finding her a teacher, and she will place us all in danger if she unleashes that darkness within her. We in the Soul Society do not need another danger to come from someone within our ranks, I will not allow it.”   
Captain Unohana turned to leave, but had a thought, “What if I strengthen the seal on her already made seal. I will not allow her to transform into that hideous creature. I am sorry, Commander, but I cannot watch Midori fall into a deep void any longer. Today was the first time I had saw her have any kind of determination in her face in a long time. I know that we all fear another situation like with Kisuke Urahara, but I feel that Midori is an exception. If she trains, the Soul Society can use her to protect it, if the time arrives, to do so.”   
Captain Unohana hated that fact that she said they could use Midori like she was an object, but if this allowed for Midori to get what she aspired to do, she wanted it for her.   
Commander Yamamoto stood in thought for some time. He took in all of what Captain Unohana had suggested.   
He cleared his mind and throat, “I will allow it for the time being. Place the extra seal on her, but I will say this Captain Unohana, and please, tell her as well. She will never be allowed to climb the ranks to captain, lieutenant, or any other named seat for the rest of her life. We cannot have someone like her to become an important member of the Seireitei with that Hollow inside of her.”   
Captain Unohana’s eyes widen at his words. To condemn Midori to a life where all her hard work would get her nowhere was not fair. It was a down right punishment beyond the consequences she was already enduring.   
“I will do as you say, Commander Yamamoto.” Captain Unohana bowed and left the 1st division barracks. She reached her own barracks in no time and summon Midori to her office.  
Midori knocked and opened the door closing it behind her, “Midori, Commander Yamamoto has agreed to you training, but with conditions. I have to place an addition on your seal and…,” she hesitated, but Midori pushed her to continue, “You will never be allowed to climb the ranks in the 13 Court Guard Squad from this day forward.”   
Without hesitation Midori rose from her seated position, “Deal!”   
She smiled at Captain Unohana, but that made Unohana feel uneasy. She knew Midori’s aspirations and her dreams. She knew how Midori wanted to be a Captain just like her. She wondered why she would give up her dreams.   
“Please, do not worry, Captain Unohana. I just want to feel normal, again. I don’t really care about climbing the ranks of the Seireitei. I will work hard to gain the trust of all the people in the Soul Society, again. You just wait and see. Thank you so much!”   
Captain Unohana took her resolve, and Midori exited her office. She was getting her happiness back. She would become the Midori that graduated 2nd in the Academy, and she would leave all her baggage in the past.   
“Here is to looking forward to the future and forgetting the past.” She raised her arm to the sky.

*****  
The next morning, Midori rushed to Captain Unohana’s office to have her place another seal on the large black tattoo that now occupied her left arm. There was already a seal in place that is why the black tattoo was there. Midori knew why it was there, but she did not want to think about it. It was just a farewell present from the man she thought loved her. The seal stung a little, and even Captain Unohana noticed a few sparks sizzle from the new seal she placed over the old. She made a mental note to look into this for later.   
When the seal was complete, Midori exited the 4th division and headed to the secluded clearing she was at the day before. There sitting against the same tree was the 11th division, Captain Zaraki.   
“Alright, Captain Zaraki! I am here for you to train me.”  
He looked up from his nap to see her standing before him with her Zanpakuto resting across her hips. He smiled.   
“I don’t train, girl. I fight, but I have two who would help you.” Yachiru jumped from Kenny’s shoulder and signaled for Midori to follow her. Midori stared at Kenny, “When you are done with your training, girl, we will fight, and I will gauge your level of determination.”   
Midori followed Yachiru until they came upon two 11th division members. There was a bald-headed man with red streaks of paint coming from the outer corners of his eyes, and a guy with colored feathers coming out from his right eyebrow and eyelash. His hair was black and was cut off at his shoulders.   
“Okay, you two,” they both jumped up and stood at attention, “Kenny wants you two to train this girl. Her name is Mi-Mi, and she is a special case for Kenny, so you better train her right. He already has requested a fight with her following your training with her.”   
They both looked at each other, and before they could say anything to Yachiru, she had vanished to take her place beside of her captain, again.  
Midori bowed to both of them introducing herself, “I am Midori Kyoraku. I am in great debt to the both of you for accepting to train me.”   
“You are…. I mean I am 5th seat of the 11th division, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and this is 3rd seat from the 11th division, Ikkaku Madarame.”   
Ikkaku, the bald-headed guy, waited agitated, but patient for Yumichika to finish, “What kind of skills do you possess to have our captain so interested in you?”   
Midori volunteered the information as best as she could understand, “I’m sure the rumors about me have already gotten to you. Word in the Seireitei has its way of traveling. Captain Zaraki said he wished to meet my Zanpakuto, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, in combat and to witness for himself my Soul Image.”   
“Soul Image? What is that? I have never heard of such a thing,” Ikkaku questioned her.   
“I would be glad to show you, but only if you accept my request to train me.”   
“How cheeky are you? Do you think that if we rejected that Captain Zaraki would allow us to go without punishment,” Yumichika spoke at Midori while moving his face closer to hers? He grabbed her chin and looked at her cheek structure, hair, and eyes. Midori pulled away from him and fixed her hair from being tussled.   
Ikkaku watched Midori straighten her uniform and then noticed the blade across her hips had a strange hilt on it. He reached for it, but Midori protected it from his grasp.   
“My Zanpakuto will not like it if someone else touches him without my permission. I would advise against doing so.” Her words caused a smirk to appear on Ikkaku’s face. He wanted to see her Zanpakuto in action. He turned and walked toward the 11th division training grounds. Yumichika reluctantly followed while Midori ran to catch up with them.  
The training grounds were made up of a desert area with large mountains and rocks that were secluded from the Seireitei. It was the largest training ground of any division because all of their members were especially skilled in combat. Ikkaku took position across from Midori while Yumichika sat down on a rock not far from them. He wanted to watch how this would unfold because he knew this girl was no threat to Ikkaku.   
“Alright, Midori. I will be your opponent. Now, show me all you’ve got.”   
Midori stretched her arms and then cracked her neck. She closed her eyes and remembered the training she had received from Yoruichi years ago. She opened her eyes, flashed stepped behind Ikkaku, and kicked him in the side. His eyes widen at her appearance behind him, and now, his side was burning in pain from her kick that sent him flying.   
Yumichika gasped at the sight, “What the hell was that!?”   
Midori looked at Yumichika, “I thought he said to give him all I got.”   
“What the hell are you, a freak of nature!? What girl kicks like that?” Ikkaku screamed as he made his way over to her.   
She took offense to him calling her a freak of nature. Inside, she was a monster. She had one waiting on the cusp to come out and take over her body and mind, but she fought back the urge to be disgruntled with them.   
“Okay, so you caught me off guard with that one. I won’t be caught off guard again. Now come.”   
Midori ran toward him and began using all types of kicks and punches, but it seemed that her skills were rusty, or she really did catch Ikkaku off guard. She wasn’t really landing many of them. Yumichika noticed this too and giggled to himself. He couldn’t believe that Ikkaku would be so careless as to let his guard down even around her. After being on the defensive for a while, Ikkaku started coming after Midori. He took out his Zanpakuto and started slicing at her with it.  
Midori began to think about her Zanpakuto, but realized she needed to learn to dodge his blows. She was keeping up with him until she miscalculated and felt a sting on her cheek. Ikkaku had cut her.   
Yumichika looked up in surprise, “Don’t mess up her face, Ikkaku. She is still a lady.”   
“My bad, but she was doing good before. I thought she would dodge it.” Midori noticed it. Ikkaku was anticipating her dodging.   
She backed away from him, “If you plan to play with me instead of train me, I can find someone else to do this.” Ikkaku and Yumichika stood there wide eyed.   
“How did you know?” Ikkaku questioned.   
“I can tell when someone is not giving me their all. I know it has been years since I trained, but I do have the skills to hurt you, Ikkaku and you too, Yumichika. Your captain was not bluffing when he saw my potential. I am just rusty, and I really need you to take this serious.” Her mature assertive tone made Ikkaku smile. He was ready for a fight, a real fight.   
“Extend, Hozukimaru!” Ikkaku’s katana turned into a brown boa staff with a flair of a red tassel coming from one end and a blade on the other end was. Midori and Yumichika realized it was time for the show to start. Midori grabbed the hilt of her Zanpakuto with her right hand and the sheath with he left hand.   
“Protect and Make Bleed, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi!”   
A spiritual pressure that bore down on Ikkaku and Yumichika came from Midori. It was unlike anything they had felt before.   
“Where the hell is this spirit pressure coming from?” Ikkaku stared at Midori.  
The spiritual pressure covered the Seireitei and caught the senses of Shunsui and Jushiro who were talking in the 8th division barracks. They both stopped for a moment and sat in silence.   
“Is Midori fighting?” Jushiro asked Shunsui.  
He did not answer but got up from his desk and walked toward the door. Jushiro understood and stood to accompany him. They were headed to where Midori was, using her spiritual pressure to guide the way.  
Yumichika and Ikkaku got excited by how powerful Midori was.   
“Were you a Lieutenant before that incident?”   
“No, just a 3rd seat, and I will never hold a seat again. Ikkaku get ready for me.”   
Midori’s katana was not a normal Zanpakuto. It had changed from its normal singular blade to two war axes. One was white and the other was black. They both had a golden inlay on each one and the hilt was wrapped in black leather on both axes and both had an emblem that resembled three Viking horns intertwining symbolizing the Allfather.   
Yumichika and Ikkaku gawked at Midori as she stood there with her axes held in a stance like a sword dancer. Her leg was lifted from the ground a little, and then she ran toward Ikkaku. Her axes slammed into his staff.   
“Tsk.”   
He pushed out as she bored down on him. He took his stance and pushed her off sending her sliding back from him. She pushed out a breath but was jolted to guard as Ikkaku began to fight back against her. Their fight went on for some time, until Shunsui and Jushiro appeared.   
They watched Midori as she struggled but displayed poise against Ikkaku. A shadow appeared beside of them; it was Kenny. He had been bought there by Midori’s spiritual pressure.   
He was mesmerized by the two axes in her hands, “So, those are the Life and Death Zanpakuto.” His words startled Jushiro and Shunsui.   
“Why are they fighting?” Jushiro asked Kenny.   
“They are not fighting, but training. This girl was struggling with something inside of her, so I told her to do something about her situation instead of allowing it to hold her back. If I knew she had such spiritual pressure, I would have taken her on myself.”   
“I would ask you to refrain from fighting my niece, Captain Zaraki.”   
“Your niece? I don’t care who she is. I only wish to fight the strong to test my skills against them.” The three of them kept watching Ikkaku and Midori’s fight.  
Midori and Ikkaku stopped for a moment to breath. She eyed Ikkaku, and he eyed her.  
“You are good, Midori!”   
“The same to you, Ikkaku. Do you wish to see my secret weapon?” Ikkaku and Yumichika raised their eyebrows.   
“What secret?” Yumichika asked.   
“I will be happy to demonstrate it, if you would accompany Ikkaku on the field.”   
Ikkaku looked at Yumichika, “I don’t need his help. I can take you myself.”   
“I am not doing this for you, Ikkaku. I don’t like to bring her out unless there is equality in battle. I will not fight you two on one.”   
Shunsui heard Midori and went to stop her, but Kenny and Jushiro stopped him. They had never seen Midori perform her Soul Image technique, and they were curious. Yumichika got down from his rock and it crumbled into pieces. He looked back at it in shock. It seemed that Midori’s immense spiritual pressure had caused the rock to give way under pressure as Yumichika vacated it.   
“Sorry.” Midori chuckled.   
Yumichika took his place beside of Ikkaku calling upon his Zanpakuto, “Bloom, Fuji Kujaku.”  
Four beautifully spaced blades appeared on one handle in Yumichika’s hand. They stood there in anticipation of Midori’s technique. She took her stance, placing one axe above her head, and the other hung around in front of her thighs.   
She encircled them around in front of her, “Appear and Obey, Soul Image.”   
A bright orange light illuminated around her body, and in the blink of an eye, a mirror image appeared beside of her, except for the brown eyes her twin possessed.   
Kenny felt the excitement for a fight exploding inside of him. He had never seen anyone make a copy of themselves before, and to be able to secure the copy had the same spiritual pressure and presence was something beyond his mind to comprehend. Jushiro was mesmerized that there were two copies of Midori in front of him.   
“Beautiful,” he thought to himself.   
Shunsui still being held by the arm of Jushiro looked down at his arm, “I won’t interrupt their fight, you can let go.” Jushiro did as Shunsui asked.  
Yumichika and Ikkaku stood there with their mouths open and their eyes gawking at the two Midoris.   
She looked at her partner, “Let’s do this.”  
She threw the black half of her Zanpakuto at her double, and they both charged at Ikkaku and Yumichika. They both fought against Midori until she was exhausted. She was rusty from so many years not using her abilities. It showed in the fight. She was having issues holding her second form, and she could hear her Zanpakuto scream in her hands.  
She stopped to catch her breath, and her second form started to fade, dropping her black half of her Zanpakuto on the ground. She called her Zanpakuto back to its sheath and sat on the ground. Ikkaku and Yumichika were catching their breath and noticed Midori just fall on her back. They rushed to her sheathing their Zanpakutos.   
Shunsui was worried, “Did she pass out?”   
Jushiro and Shunsui rushed to Midori leaving Kenny behind, “I wait your end result, Midori Kyoraku.” He turned and left.  
“Midori? Are you alright?” Shunsui yelled coming to her side.   
Yumichika and Ikkaku stared at the captains before them concerned about Midori. She laid there with her eyes open looking at the sky. She heard her uncle but did not respond. A smile like before crept on her face. She felt alive, and she felt that her determination was only growing.  
Shunsui reached down and grabbed her up in a seated position, “I am fine, uncle.”   
“UNCLE!?” Yumichika and Ikkaku said in unison. They looked at each other and then back at Midori.   
“Uncle Shunsui, these are the 11th division’s 3rd seat, Ikkaku Madarame and 5th seat, Yumichika Ayasegawa. They are helping me train, and I am fine, just exhausted.”   
She fell over into Shunsui’s arms. Her spiritual pressure was leaking out of her body like she couldn’t control it, and then Shunsui felt a shock from her left shoulder on his chest.   
He picked her up in his arms and turned to run off, “Thank you for helping her, today.”   
Jushiro bowed to them, “Please, continue to take care of her in the future.”   
The two captains made their way to the 4th division barracks, leaving Ikkaku and Yumichika rubbing their heads.   
“Did a captain just bow to us, Ikkaku.”   
“It seems Midori Kyoraku is important to them and our captain. I cannot wait for her return.” Ikkaku was getting himself pumped again for another fight with Midori.   
“But did you feel that strange spiritual pressure leaking from Midori?” Yumichika asked, Ikkaku nodded his head in reply.

*****  
Shunsui and Jushiro made it just in time to the 4th division barracks. Captain Unohana was just leaving her office.   
“Retsu! Midori’s seal!” Shunsui yelled to her.   
She opened the door to her office, “Bring her in, quickly.”   
Captain Unohana looked over Midori, and then pulled the string that Midori had sown to her sleeves so she could remove them when needed. The original seal was intact, but the second seal was burning Midori’s skin and sparking. There was something trying to dispel her seal from within Midori.  
She began using Kaido on Midori’s arm hoping that healing the burns that were occurring would help her reseal the original seal. It was then that the door flung open and Commander Yamamoto appeared.   
“What is the meaning of this? I can sense her spiritual pressure all the way in the 1st division barracks. It is causing the members of the Seireitei to worry about how dark that spiritual pressure is. Retsu, it is best to get this fixed.”   
She did not mean to ignore him, but he could sense she was doing all she could. He knelt beside of her and applied his own Kaido on Midori’s arm.

*****  
Inside of Midori, she was walking in a world that she had never seen. It was her Soul World, a world where her soul and the soul of her Zanpakuto resided. The floors were checkered, and a large space of darkness lingered in the corner of the world.   
A familiar face appeared before her, “Midori, your body is under distress. Why after so long have you called upon me and this thing to fight in a battle?” It was Seigi.  
He pointed at a pair of golden slit eyes, and a white face with large black circles around its eyes that looked like smudged eyeshadow and two long sharp black lines fell under each eye and stopped at the corner of each side of its lips. Midori gasped in surprise and fell back onto the floor. She had seen this face before, but she did not want to accept that it was her Hollow. She never knew that it took shape inside of her.   
“Who are you?”   
The mysterious figure stepped out from the darkness and its full body can be seen. It was dressed just like Midori, but its face and eyes were not the same. It was not the one from her Soul Image but looked to be her Hollow form with a slimmer body. It had large clawed hands and large feet with talons for its toes. Midori had to finally come to realization that her thoughts were right and here stood what plagued her.  
“I am the darkness that lies inside you, Midori. The present that someone left you with, am I not a beauty,” its voice was shrill and cold like hers was when she took on the form of her Hollow in the real world.  
“More like a demon if you want my opinion,” Seigi interrupted.   
“It’s getting closer for me to emerge, Midori. Will you not allow me this moment right, now? I can deal with everyone who has ever hurt you. It will make you feel yourself, again.”   
Midori pondered the thought. She could go back to being herself again, but she couldn’t do it at the cost of the lives of people. Seigi walked over to Midori and helped her off of the floor. He placed a hand on her back to help steady her. He could feel her real spiritual pressure becoming overwhelmed by this Hollow.   
Midori stepped forward to face her Hollow, “You may never leave this place unless I command it. You are no gift to me. You are a darkness that I will only use when I need you. I have come to terms with what you are, and there is no way you will overthrow me or Seigi, so pipe down and get back to the dark corner in my mind where you belong!”   
Seigi smirked as Midori put her Hollow half in its place. With each word she said to the Hollow, a large cell appeared around it. The bars were a deep gunmetal color and the Hollow was locked away inside of it. It grabbed the bars, jerking on them wanting to be get loose.   
Midori gave it a snide look before hearing Seigi’s voice as she disappeared, “Thank you, Midori. You have my axes at your request, anytime.”  
Midori opened her eyes sitting up causing Commander Yamamoto and Captain Unohana to stumble back to sit on their feet.  
“Midori,” Shunsui’s concerned voice hit her ears.   
She looked up at him smiling, “I am fine.”   
She placed her right hand over her left shoulder, and the seal faded to gray. It surprised Commander Yamamoto and Unohana.   
“Midori, that needs to be resealed, immediately,” Commander Yamamoto demanded.   
“I have it under control. I saw it for the first time, and Seigi will help me keep it under control. You can reseal the first seal, but do not seal it twice, please. It is painful when it tries to gain access to my soul.” Unohana shook her head in agreement.   
Commander Yamamoto was not happy, “You do not know what that will do to our society if it is not properly sealed.”   
“It seems even your faith in me has dwindled, Grandfather Yamamoto.”   
Her words surprised him. It had been a while since she had called him that, “I will trust you, now, Midori, but I will also keep an eye on you. The work that Kisuke Urahara did on you is beyond repair, but if you learn to control it, then it will not be seen as a threat to the Soul Society. I will continue to look for someone to help train you with your Hollow until then.”   
He turned and walked out of the room. It seemed that everyone still thought that Kisuke had experimented on her and caused the Hollow to appear inside of her. She knew he was never capable of doing something like that, especially not to her. She knew well enough that Aizen had done this to her. He had used the Hogyoku on her when she went to look for Kisuke that night. He had been the one to curse her to the life she had now. It was all Aizen’s fault.  
Midori stared at her legs and then looked up to see Jushiro’s concerned face. She blushed remembering what had happened between them the day before.   
“May I speak to Captain Ukitake in private, please?”   
Jushiro, Shunsui and Unohana were all surprised. Shunsui and Unohana left them to speak. Jushiro felt odd being requested to stay alone with her. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be alone with her. It was because she had never given him any hint before of wanting to be alone with him.  
Midori squirmed in her seated position in her captain’s office. Jushiro came to sit beside of her and looked at the seal on her left arm. It was gray now but there were small burn marks around it. He was not worried about Midori being able to control the Hollow inside of her, but he was worried about that small percentage chance that she would fail, and that Hollow would devour her soul. He touched her seal, tracing the lines that made it up.  
She eyed him from the corner of her eye, “You know touch and spiritual energy can activate it.” She giggled, joking with him.   
He took his hand that was tracing her seal and placed it on her cheek pulling her close to him in a kiss. She kissed him back, and this time, it was because she wanted to. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her to him embracing her for a deeper kiss. Midori had felt like she did before she met Kisuke. She felt renewed and free for the moment, but it was her and not the baggage from her past. What Kenny had told her was coming true. She would become a different person if she could push through her own past and deal with the present.   
She pulled away from him giving them a moment to breath, “I want to try this with you, Jushiro. I have put your mind in torment for some time, and I believe that in order for me to move on from my past that you have to be a part of my future.”  
“Do you really mean that Midori? I do not want you to just say those things to me because you feel like you need to pity me.”   
“No, I mean it. The only thing I ask is that you don’t keep me a secret. Embrace being with me and don’t be ashamed of who I am now.”   
“I will cherish you and love you always.” He kissed her forehead and then kissed her lips.   
The door slid open a little to Shunsui and Unohana looking in. Unohana blushed and nudged Shunsui, and Shunsui shook his head and slapped his forehead. The noise from the slap caused Jushiro and Midori to part and act like they were not doing anything. They were embarrassed by someone seeing them just then.  
Shunsui walked in and grabbed Jushiro, “When were you going to tell me about you two?”  
Jushiro looked to the side, but threw his hands up, “It just became official a few minutes ago.” Shunsui looked at Midori. She was smiling talking to Unohana.   
He looked back at Jushiro, “Just keep her safe this time. That is all I ask.”   
Jushiro stood surprised by Shunsui’s words, “Thank you for accepting this. I know it was hard for you when she was with him.”   
“It was only because it was him that was why I hated it so much.”  
They watched Midori and Unohana talk for a while until they decided to head back to their barracks. Before Jushiro left the 4th division for good, Midori stumbled toward him.   
He caught her in his arms as she spoke, “I will come see you, tomorrow. Captain Unohana told me I could if it is alright with you?”   
“Of course, you can come see me anytime. Just make sure to get rest and to enjoy your training tomorrow.”   
She smiled and took the measures to stand on her own. He kissed her forehead and left her waving as he went. The way his back looked as he walked away made Midori’s heart leap from her chest.   
“He is so cool,” she thought.   
She was falling hard for him like she knew she would from the beginning. She made her way to her room to rest, “Tomorrow sure is going to be busy.”


	12. Where I Belong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori is confessed to by Jushiro Ukitake. She turns him down because she wants to love him, but she doesn't believe that she can. Upset, she sleeps against an old tree that is visited quite frequently by Captain Zaraki and Yachiru. He tells her to do something more with her life than sit and wallow in pity. She makes the decision to train her body to find her way. Getting permission from Commander Yamamoto, Captain Unohana strengthens her seal with an additional seal. She goes off to train with Ikkaku and Yumichika from the 11th division. During her training, Shunsui, Jushiro, Kenny, and Yachiru come to watch their sparring. It surprises Kenny even more about how powerful Midori is. Midori exhausted from her sparring, falls into her uncle's arms as her seal is breaking. Rushed to Captain Unohana to fix the problem, Midori enters her Soul World for the first time where she cages the Hollow within her. What will this mean for Midori?
> 
> And now....Chapter Twelve: Where I Belong....

Midori woke the next morning and got dressed in her stealth uniform. She hadn’t danced in a long time and this morning was no different. She decided that in this uniform, she would be able to train easier. She wanted to have that freeing feeling that her normal uniform did not give her. She placed her auburn hair in a tight ponytail on her head, her Zanpakuto across her hips, and left the 4th division. She was off to meet up with Ikkaku and Yumichika at the 11th division training grounds.  
When she got there, she saw that Ikkaku was with Yumichika, and they were training some members from their squad.   
She walked up beside Yumichika, “Your turn, today?”   
He looked at her while Ikkaku was talking to the other members, “Are you sure that is what you want, today?”   
Midori placed a loud smile on her face which caused Yumichika to back away a little, “I want to see your techniques.”   
“Okay, Zanpakutos or no?”   
“Well, how about I teach you what I did to Ikkaku yesterday, and we can go from there.”   
“I thought you said you wanted to see my technique.” Midori looked away from him, she wanted to hide the fact that she thought Yumichika wasn’t really a fighter considering he didn’t really want to participate, yesterday.   
She breathed in hard, “Well, I think that you aren’t really the fighting type seeing as yesterday you let Ikkaku fight me.”   
“I will have you know that I am a fighter. I can show you, but don’t get mad at me if I mess your pretty face up.”   
Midori turned to walk away from the training Ikkaku was giving to the members of division 11 and Yumichika followed her. They could still see Ikkaku, but they were far enough that they couldn’t interrupt their training.   
Midori took her stance and looked at Yumichika, “You know how to flash step, right?”   
“Of course, I know.”  
Before he could sense her move, she was behind him, “Good, duck,” he ducked out of her way with his flash step, “Now, when you go on the offensive, use your flash step to get as close as possible to your opponent and add in a kick or a punch, like this.”  
Midori disappeared and then appeared close enough to touch Yumichika. She did not punch or kick at him, but he was close enough to her face that they could touch noses.  
He was surprised by how close she was. He flashed stepped away from her, and she followed. She decided that she would not only receive their training, but she would pass on what she learned from Yoruichi several years ago. After an hour of flash stepping away and toward each other, they were tired.   
Yumichika looked over at her sitting beside of him breathing hard, “This is serious stuff. Who taught you how to do that?” Midori looked over to where Ikkaku was.   
They both had not tapped into their spiritual pressure, so Ikkaku did not even see that they were training.   
She did not want to tell Yumichika about her, but it was like vomit, it came out without her wanting it to, “Captain Shihoin taught me how before the incident.”   
Yumichika stared at her as she got up from the ground and noticed for the first time the grayed tattoo on her left arm. She dusted off her uniform and turned around to face him.   
“What is that tattoo on your arm?”   
She grabbed a hold of it and smiled at him with a genuine smile, “It’s a seal. Now, next step in the training. Come on.”  
Yumichika wondered about the tattoo, “What did she mean by seal? What is she trying to seal?”  
He got up from the ground. He was tired but was recovering slowly.   
“I want you to flash step to me and have the intent to hit me anyway you want. A punch or a kick. It has to be as fast as your flash step, or it will not connect at the same time.”   
Yumichika flashed stepped at Midori and threw a kick at her. She dodged it with her arm, then flashed stepped away from him. They went another round. For an hour, Midori and Yumichika traded blows with each other until Yumichika was caught off guard and Midori slammed her leg into his side, sending him flying toward Ikkaku.   
Ikkaku heard him grunt in pain as he slid to land beside of him.   
He looked down, “What the hell are you doing?”  
Yumichika looked up, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Midori was running toward him, “Training, what does it look like.”   
“Yumichika, are you okay? I didn’t think that one would land.”   
She reached her hand out and pulled him up from the ground.   
Ikkaku turned to look at her, “So, are training him or is he training you?”   
He looked different from, yesterday. His normal aggressive demeanor was kind of calm in a way.   
Midori smiled at him, “I am teaching Yumichika how to do what I did to you, yesterday.”   
“That was a cheap shot, and you know it,” his demeanor changed. He was hostile again. “I will fight you right now, Midori.”   
Yumichika rolled his eyes, “Today is my day, Ikkaku. You can have her tomorrow.” Ikkaku watched as Yumichika grabbed Midori’s arm and dragged her back to their part of the training ground.   
“Not done?”   
“Not in the least. Now we use our Zanpakutos.”  
Midori took her stance away from Yumichika and pulled her Zanpakuto out of her sheath, “Protect and Make Bleed, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi!”  
Her Zanpakuto transformed, and her spiritual pressure began to spread out amongst the training grounds.   
Many of the members Ikkaku was training paused to look over at Midori and Yumichika, “Who is that Ikkaku?”   
“Is she part of our squad, now?” He chuckled at how they were impressed by how her spiritual pressure pushed down on them.   
“She is just here to train, like you guys need to be! Get back to work!” Ikkaku wore a smile on his face. He could feel that Midori was stronger than yesterday.   
“Will she continue to get stronger?” he wondered to himself.  
Midori watched Yumichika transform his Zanpakuto, and then their training commenced. Midori ran at Yumichika letting her axes collide with the four blades of his Fuji Kujaku. She pushed into him causing him to slide back. He could sense that she was serious about her training. He charged at her this time pushing her back, but then he noticed that she was not using but one of her axes. He saw it out of the corner of his eyes as her left arm came up from his side view, slicing at him.   
He jumped back, “What the hell?”   
“What’s wrong, Yumichika? Too much?”   
She charged at him and flashed stepped behind him swinging her axes. He flashed stepped away from her, and then flashed stepped quickly close to Midori using his blades to slice at her. She blocked all but one of his blades that sliced her arm. She grabbed at it activating her Kaido immediately to stop the bleeding. Yumichika was surprised at how fast she could administer Kaido.   
“That is impressive, Midori. How did you learn to administer Kaido that fast?”   
“Captain Unohana has trained me for years, so it became like second nature, plus I loved how you used that move I showed you earlier to come back at me. Keep doing that.”   
Yumichika shook his head. He did feel bad for cutting Midori, but she acted like it wasn’t an issue. He figured that she wanted to expand her training past what she could do naturally. It impressed him how she complimented him right after he had injured her. He was determined to help her no matter what.   
It was around noon when Ikkaku came to join them. He saw how hard Yumichika and Midori was keeping up with each other. He transformed his Zanpakuto and came at Midori from the opposite side that Yumichika did. She felt his presence immediately because Ikkaku had a hard time when he was hostile to hide his spiritual pressure. She held her axes in opposite directions in order to stop their attacks. She then flashed stepped away from them and called forth her Soul Image.  
Her twin appeared and took her other axe in hand. She fought Ikkaku for a while as her brown eyed version fought against Yumichika. This training went on till well in the afternoon. They all three were tired by this time.   
Ikkaku feeling left out sat with his legs spread on the ground catching his breath like the others and began to complain, “Midori, you are going to teach me what you taught Yumichika today, right?”   
She looked over at him while trying to find her breath. She still had her Soul Image sitting against her back. They both looked at him and nodded their heads. Yumichika was staring at the Midori that just fought with him. He got up on his knees and crawled to her.   
He grabbed her cheeks and looked at her, “Midori, did you know your copy doesn’t have your same eyes?”   
“She has my dad’s eyes. It was a purposeful thing I suppose I did when I found out I could summon her. She has always had them. It became a tactic so that people can tell us apart.”   
“If she gets hurt, do you?”   
“In some circumstances. It really depends on if I give her any of my spiritual pressure.” They both looked at the two Midoris.   
“Do you not already give her spiritual pressure to make her appear?” Ikkaku questioned her.   
“Not all the time. I can manifest her out of just need. My spiritual pressure is given to her when I feel the need to bestow it upon her, normally when I feel hers depleting. The only thing is, she doesn’t speak or at least she never has to me.”  
Yumichika let her face go. She rolled her eyes at him which caused him to huff. Brown eyed Midori began to glow and fused back into violet eyed Midori. Yumichika had a question that he wanted to ask her since yesterday, but felt it was strange to ask at their first meeting.   
Since Midori had earlier mentioned the incident that happened years ago and the rumors still circulating about her, he decided to ask her, “Midori, is the rumors true about you?”   
She looked at him in surprise. She didn’t realize that after so many years that people would still be causing trouble for her with what had happened. She did not know how to answer. She didn’t know how they would react. Would they hate her like everyone else? Would they stop training her?   
She looked at Ikkaku who was eyeing Yumichika, “I don’t think she should have to answer that if she doesn’t want to, Yumichika. Besides, do you really believe rumors.” Midori felt relieved.   
Ikkaku looked at her from the corner of his eye. She could feel that he too wanted to know. She got up from the ground sensing that it was near the end of her training for the day.   
She bowed to them, “I helped Kisuke Urahara, but I was a foolish girl who fell in love with the wrong Soul Reaper.”   
She walked away from them. She was hurt, but she felt a little bit of the weight on her chest lighten because she could admit her mistake so openly without feeling horrible about it.   
Ikkaku and Yumichika watched her leave. She had replaced her Zanpakuto on her hips, and her ponytail blew in the wind, “You really are dumb to ask her that.”   
Yumichika shot him a look, “Well, you wanted to know, too. Do you really think it’s right for them to call her a traitor since she was tricked and used by him?”   
“I think that Midori has to figure that out on her own. I believe that is what the Captain wanted her to find out for herself.”   
Yumichika thought to himself. He went over the kanji on Midori’s arm. He then realized what it said, “Forbidden.”   
“Huh? What is forbidden?”   
“The seal on Midori’s arm. Did you not notice it?”   
“No, I was too busy fighting her to stare at her arms. Why do you think she has a seal?”   
“Who knows. She didn’t say anything more to me about it other than it was a seal.”   
Ikkaku laid back on the dirt, “Maybe, she will tell us about it when she gets to know us better.” Yumichika went back to thinking about Midori and her mysterious tattoo.

*****  
Midori walked toward the 13th division barracks. She had her head held high as she passed through the hall leading to Jushiro’s room.   
On the way through, she saw Lieutenant Shiba, “Hello, Midori! How are you today?”   
“I am wonderful.”   
She smiled at him, and it was the first time she looked at him in a very long time. He noticed how intense her violet eyes were. He smiled back at her.   
“Is Captain Ukitake in his office?”   
“No, he is by the oak tree in the field.”   
“Awesome! Thank you.” Midori skipped off.   
He was happy to see her enjoying herself, again. He had thought for so long that she would never get herself back to the way she was before the incident, but here she was, happy.  
Midori entered the field and saw the oak tree that Jushiro had been leaning against the first time she officially met him. She walked up to the tree making sure not to slip and fall. She looked around the tree to a sleeping Jushiro. His face was so serene and beautiful as the wind blew his white hair gently. She slowly positioned herself in front of him and peered into his face. She blushed. She loved to watch him sleep. His chest was rising and falling like normal, and there had been no issues with his treatments. She was happy that she was finally able to give in to him and let him love her. She cared about him so much.   
Midori leaned into his face and kissed his cheek. It woke him up, causing him to cup her cheeks.   
He looked at her with sleepy eyes, but smiled, “Hello, gorgeous.”   
Her face burned hot as he kissed her lips. She kissed him back. The feeling of his lips on hers electrified her. It sent sparks through her that she had never experienced before. It made her feel like they were meant to be.   
Jushiro’s mind raced with everything about Midori. He had wanted to see her all morning. He took in her scent as they kissed. It was honeysuckle mixed with her sweat. He realized that she had been training. He smiled in their kiss. When they stopped, he opened his legs to allow her to sit in between them. She sat sideways within his grasp, placing her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat was normal, and there was no raspy sound from his lungs. She was content.   
“Are we in a good mood, today?” his voice was soft, but enough for her to hear.  
“I am very happy, today. I spoke about the past for the first time, today, and it felt like a weight was lifted off of me. I am starting to let go.”   
He rubbed her back with his hand, it sent chills through Midori’s body. How his warm hand made her chilled back feel so good. She moaned a little.   
“That is good, Midori. I am happy now, too. It is because you are here.”   
He kissed her head as she sat there staring out into the field. She felt a sense of safety sweep over her. She had not a worry or care in the world.   
“What is it about me that you like, Jushiro?”   
Her saying his name caused his heart to beat faster, and his face to flush pink. He thought about her question, seriously. She waited patiently for his answer.   
“I love so much about you, Midori. I love your personality, and how you have such a strong determination when you set your mind to things. The way you fidget when you are nervous. The way you smile, and how your eyes light up when you are excited. There are just too many things to list, but if you want, I will write them all down, and give them to you.”   
Midori pushed into him causing him to embrace her in a hug. She could finally take in his scent; it was the smell of peaches and the ocean. It was breathtaking to her.  
She turned around to completely face him and sat back on her feet. He looked up at her. She began to kiss him, and he kissed her back. She licked his bottom lip, and he opened his mouth. She pushed her tongue inside of his mouth and explored. Jushiro’s eyes widen by her welcomed intrusion in his mouth. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers into her hair, loosening her hair band, and cupped her head pulling her into him.   
Midori pulled away from his lips leaving saliva trailing from her lips down his chin. She kissed his neck and then began kissing his chest. He pulled her back to his lips and began kissing her again. He did not want to push that on Midori, yet. She was getting her happiness back. He just wanted to be with her with no physical attachment between the two of them, yet. She could feel his reluctance to take this any further. She wanted him so much, but she slowed herself down. She realized that she needed to take things slow. They had just started this relationship, yesterday, and even though her body ached for his touch, she just had to calm herself. She couldn’t just jump in too quickly. She stopped kissing his lips and hugged him.   
She felt safe with him. She finally realized that this was where she belonged, beside of him. He hugged her back.   
She whispered in his ear, “Thank you, Jushiro.”   
He kissed the side of her head. She sat back down between his legs and placed her head back on his chest, sitting sideways. They fell asleep under the oak tree in the field right outside of the 13th division barracks.

*****  
Midori woke up in Jushiro’s room. It seemed that he had brought her there after he had woken up from the tree outside. She saw him sitting at his desk. She got up and walked over to him. She sat down beside of him and placed her head on his shoulder. He bent his head sideways to lay it on hers. She placed her hand on his leg and watched him look at documents. She felt happy sitting here in his room with no worries in the world, but that was short lived. Midori began to worry herself.   
She thought about what she needed to do. What did she need to do for Jushiro? What could she do to make him happy? What did she need to do to continue to come and see him? She peeked up at his face. He wore a happy smile on his face as he looked over his documents on his desk.   
“Jushiro?”   
He peered over at her to see her peeking at him, “Yes.”   
She picked her head up from his shoulder, “Is there anything I need to do? Do you need anything? I don’t want to become a burden to you, so if you need anything, please, let me know.” All of these worries she had come spilling out of her.   
He placed his hand on top of hers and stared at her, seriously, “I only need you to be yourself. I don’t want anything from you, but your love if you want to give it to me. I only want you to be happy. You deserve that much. Don’t worry about anything else. Also, you can never be a burden on me. I want you to feel free to tell me anything. I will always listen to you.”   
He moved his shoulder to get closer to her. He placed a kiss on her cheek making sure to nudge his face into hers. He wanted to reassure her of his love. She just sat there staring at him. She never thought just being herself was enough for anyone. She smiled and pushed her face into his shoulder so he couldn’t see how happy she was. She felt like her chest was going to burst from the happiness she felt.   
She hugged him hard from the side, “I love you, Jushiro.” Those words were all he wanted to hear from her. A smile broadened his face.   
When the sun went down, Midori got up from her position against Jushiro’s back. She stretched and saw that he had fallen asleep at his desk. She grabbed the blanket from his futon and placed it over him, kissing his head. She wrote him a small note,   
Jushiro, I went back to the barracks for the night. I will see you, tomorrow. I love you. -Midori (xoxo)  
She ran her fingers through his long hair, closed the door to the balcony so the cold air did not get to him while he slept, and left, closing the front door behind her, quietly. She turned around and was face to face with Lieutenant Shiba.   
He was smiling at her from ear to ear, “Nothing like what is in your head happened, so you can wipe that smile off your face.”   
“Midori, I am just happy for both of you. You both deserve happiness.”   
“Thank you. Oh, and Lieutenant, if possible, could you actually make sure he sleeps in his futon. He is asleep right now at his desk. I wouldn’t want his posture to mess with his condition. Thank you.”  
She walked down the hall waving as she went. He noticed that even though Midori seemed frustrated, she was happy. He went into his captain’s room and pulled him from the desk like she asked him to. Jushiro did not wake as he placed him on his futon and covered him up.   
“Captain, you have picked one of the best women to love. Her care for you is beyond that I have ever seen. I wish you both happiness,” he thought as he left the room, blowing the light out as he left.

*****  
Midori passed several barracks as she went toward the 4th division. The moon was high in the sky and it shown like a spotlight on the ground as she walked. There were not many people out on the roads to the barracks. No one was around to talk about her, and she felt relieved.   
She entered the 4th division barracks and made it to the door of her room when Captain Unohana called to her, “Midori, follow me, please.”   
Midori walked with her, and they sat down in Captain Unohana’s room. She looked at Midori’s seal. It was still grayed out.   
“May I replace the seal on your arm? Commander Yamamoto insisted.”   
“Yes, that is fine.”  
As Captain Unohana started resealing the seal on Midori’s arm, she wanted to talk with Midori about her day, “How was your day? Anything exciting happen?”   
“Just training and spending time with Jushiro, I mean Captain Ukitake.”   
She smiled at Midori, “Jushiro is fine when it is just us, Midori. I know that the two of you are together, so it is only natural for you to call him that. How is your relationship going with him?” Midori blushed.   
She remembered back to their kissing by the oak tree, “He is a gentleman, and he is very considerate. He told me all I had to do was be myself, and it made my heart skip a beat.”   
“Well, Midori that is all women should do around the men they love. If a man really loves you, he will never want anything from you except your love, and you to be yourself. It seems that Jushiro is a real gentleman, after all.”   
She smiled at Midori, and they started gossiping like teenagers. After Captain Unohana finished the seal, Midori got up to leave.   
“Midori, I am glad you are happy. I want to see you smile more often. Good night.”   
“Good night, Retsu.”  
Midori was indeed happy. Little by little, she started getting her life back to normal. She walked back to her room and entered. She laid down on her futon and stared at the ceiling. Her mind was flooded with all these thoughts about being herself. She wanted to be the cheerful girl that Jushiro fell in love with. She wanted to see people’s faces light up when she came in the room. She was beginning to forget all the bad things that happened the year of the incident, and even if she buried them inside of her, she knew that she would find a way to be happy and keep them from resurfacing.


	13. A Day Worth Celebrating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> The following pages have explicit sexual content. Viewer discretion under the age of 17 is advised.  
> You have been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....  
> Midori trained Yumichika in the art of Hakudo. She trained hard with him and Ikkaku until after noon. She went off to spend time with Jushiro and found out there was something more than feelings between them. She felt that next to him was where she belonged. Midori stayed with him for a long time until he fell asleep. She returned to the 4th division where Captain Unohana resealed her seal. 
> 
> And now....Chapter Thirteen: A Day Worth Celebrating....

Midori’s training at the 11th division had been going steady. She had started getting back into her normal routine like she did at the Academy. She was becoming stronger in her offensive and defensive attacks. She hadn’t seen Captain Zaraki since the day she decided to start training after he pushed her to do something more with her life than sulk. She had become good friends with Ikkaku and Yumichika. She taught them more about Hakudo, and it was interesting that over the past few years since her kidnapping that Sosuke Aizen had not bothered with her. He didn’t even seem to realize that his precious Hogyoku was not in his possession anymore. It did not give her pause. She was glad to be off his radar for the time being.  
She was walking back to the 4th division after a session of training in mid-December when she overheard two female squad members talking about the birthdays of the captains. She knew that her uncle’s birthday was in the summery month of July and Retsu’s was in spring like hers. She listened carefully.   
She heard them get to Jushiro’s and paused, “Captain Ukitake’s birthday is coming up soon, I believe it is the 21st of the month.”   
The other girl with her squealed, it seemed that she like many of the other girls in the Seireitei had a thing for Jushiro, “I need to find something to get him, do you think he will accept my gift?”   
The two girls giggled and started whispering to each other. Midori decided that she would pay her uncle a visit, and she turned quickly and walked to the 8th division.  
Midori could feel that the temperature was changing. It was exactly 5 days before the 21st, but she had to make sure of the correct date. She only knew one person who would have that information without alerting Jushiro, and that was her uncle. She walked through the gate and was instantly greeted by members of the 8th division. It made her feel warm to know that the members of the 8th division still regarded her as part of their division after so long and after so many things that was said about her. She smiled at them and waved. They waved back to her and watched her walk to her uncle’s office.  
She knocked on the door, “Come in.”   
She walked in and noticed that he was alone, today. There was absolutely no sign of Jushiro.   
She calmed her heart and waited for her uncle to look up from his papers, “There’s my girl!”   
He opened his arms for a hug. Midori walked over to him and hugged his neck. She sat down beside of him.   
“Uncle Shunsui, I have something very important to ask you.” He peered over at her from his sakkat. She looked up at him with a serious face on, “I want to know when Jushiro’s birthday is.”   
Shunsui was surprised that they hadn’t told each other their birthdays. He thought that was something that every couple shared between them especially since they had been together over a year, now. He giggled to himself and decided to keep that information from her. She noticed his giggling and rolled her eyes.   
“He wants to play another game. I wonder what it is this time, perhaps more sake,” she thought to herself, but they came tumbling out of her mouth, “Okay, we will play it your way, but there is something else I want to know.”   
“Play it my way? If you want more information about Jushiro then it will take a favor per one.” Midori raised her eyebrow to show that she was not amused.  
She looked at him, “I only need to know two things, his birthday and his favorite food. I am sure I could ask him though, but then again it would not be a surprise if I did,” she turned on a sad puppy dog face, “You wouldn’t want me to fail on surprising him, and it causing me to be upset, do you.”   
She saw how Shunsui reacted to her sad puppy dog face. He about melted in her hands but remembered that Midori always pulled this on him when she wasn’t getting her way.   
He chuckled and protested, “My favors first, then your answers.”   
“Fine, but don’t say one word to Jushiro.” He nodded his head in agreement.   
Shunsui thought about what he wanted Midori to do. He then realized that his sake jar was almost empty, and he needed some sake buns to go with them.   
“I want a new jar of sake and some sake buns.” Midori shook her head in disapproval.   
She had read him like a book. She knew him like no one else did. He was a very lazy man, but he had a good heart. He loved alcohol, and he loved picking on innocent girls just to see their reactions.   
She hung her head as she berated him in her mind, “My uncle is an old pervert.”   
She sighed, “I will get your sake and buns. I should have just figured that was what you wanted.”   
“Midori, the best place to get them is in the 79th District of the North Rukon. Please.” She gawked at him.  
She knew that place was bad. It was a den of wolves. She shook her head in agreement. She knew that if she said anything her anger would boil up from inside her, and she would yell at him. She turned and stomped out of the room.   
Shunsui chuckled as she went, “It really is the best sake and buns, but it is dangerous. She can handle it though. I believe in her abilities, but also because she is so determined to know my old friend’s birthday. How the innocent do anything when they fall in love.”

*****  
Midori made it to the 79th District of the North Rukon named Kusajishi. She looked around her. There were people in groups huddled together, and they threw daggers at her as she walked to the central bar in the area. Opening the door to the bar, she got eyes on her, again. She kept to herself and strode up to the bar.   
She looked at the bartender and said politely, “May I have one jug of sake and a large box of sake buns, please.”   
The bartender sized Midori up and noticed that she was dressed like a Soul Reaper, “You come from the Seireitei. Do you know we don’t like your kind around here?”   
“Well, my kind is the same as your kind, we all are residents in the Soul Society, correct?” The bartender eyed her.  
He went to get the jug of sake and the large box of sake buns, “Do you want anything else, girl? If not, it would be best for you to leave.”   
She noticed that many of the people in the bar had grabbed weapons and were ready to do battle with her. She did not reach for her Zanpakuto but reached for her wallet. She handed the bartender more than what the sake and buns were worth and grabbed them.   
She smiled at him, “Thank you, sir.”  
As she walked out of the bar, someone tried to trip her.   
She flashed stepped in front of their foot to avoid their cruel joke, “I don’t think my uncle would appreciate his sake and buns getting destroyed before he can partake in them. Would you please excuse me?”   
She turned around and a sword came inches from her nose, and she let go of the jug of sake and buns. They were headed toward the ground, but she quickly grabbed them and sat them down beside the stairs to the bar, so they wouldn’t get destroyed.  
She turned to face a group of rough looking members of the Kusajishi District. They all carried sharp weapons, and they were upset at the fact she had come there at all.   
Her thoughts filled with her predicament, “What to do? What to do? My spiritual pressure should knock the weak ones down, but I don’t want to get Seigi involved if I can help it.”   
She began to build up her spiritual pressure and let it go. It sent about two-thirds of them flying. The other members got angry and started to charge her. She pulled her Zanpakuto from her sheath, and a loud noise came from it. She went on the defensive against the townspeople. She did not want to injure any of them.   
“All Soul Reapers should die!”   
Two guys from behind her charged at her and were about to come in contact when a shadow came from nowhere. He held up his sword and helped her in the defensive.   
When the townspeople saw who the shadow was, they started to retreat, “Oh, NO! It’s Shiba!” Midori was confused about why they all turned tail, but she was happy.   
She placed her Zanpakuto back into its sheath and turned to the shadow, her savior, “Thank you.”   
She looked up to see a man who resembled Kaien. He had brown eyes instead of green. She remembered that one of the townspeople called him Shiba, so she already knew that he was some kin to Kaien Shiba, and now. his face told her the truth.   
“You are kin to Kaien Shiba, am I correct?”  
He looked down at her and started in this ever so rising excited explanation on how he was the uncle of Kaien Shiba, “Kaien is my brother’s son. He is so talented, especially to have gotten into the Seireitei. Are you a part of his division?”  
Midori took a second to calm herself from his chipper personality. She wished that he would turn it down a few octaves.   
“I am Midori Kyoraku. I am part of the 4th division, and Lieutenant Kaien Shiba is the lieutenant of the 13th division.”   
“It is nice to meet you, Midori Kyoraku, I am Isshin Shiba.”  
He held out his hand, she took it and shook his hand. He was so enthusiastic about it that her arm was about to fall off.   
She then got a wonderful idea, “Mr. Shiba, I do thank you for helping me. Over the past several years we have not had a captain for several of the divisions, I am sure that if you are just like Lieutenant Shiba that you would make a wonderful captain or at least a member. You seem to have a wonderful presence, and everyone around here seems to respect you in some way, why not become part of the 13 Court Guard Squad?”  
“Do you hold a position in the 13 Court Guard Squad?” She looked down.   
She wanted to avoid talking about herself, but it seemed disrespectful of her not to answer him, “I used to be the 3rd seat of the 6th division before the incident several years ago. I, unfortunately, have been banned from having a seated position again, but it’s okay. I just want to be myself for a while.”   
He looked at her curious. There was more to her story than she was saying. He watched her pick up the sake and buns from the ground.   
“That sounds like a good plan you just mentioned, I will think about it,” he rubbed the back of his head, “Let me walk you to the gate to the Seireitei.”   
“You don’t have to. I will be fine on my own. You have a great night, Isshin Shiba.” She nodded to him and walked away.  
She knew that she needed to tell Kaien about this, but she didn’t know how to bring it up in front of him. Isshin was a really nice guy. She was happy that he came to her rescue because if he hadn’t, she would not have been back on her way to the 8th division like she was, now. She would have even had to get rough with the residents of the 79th District, and that would have caused her some pauses about her position. She was happy nonetheless about him coming to her rescue.  
He did not listen to her. Isshin walked in the woods on the path to the gate to the Seireitei. He wanted to make sure she got there safe.   
He watched her deep in thought, “What is she thinking about? Is she even paying attention to what is in front of her?”  
When she stopped at the gate, she turned to face him. She stared at the tree he was hiding behind.   
“You know if you want to follow someone, it is best to hide your spiritual pressure, right?”   
He leaned around the tree he was standing behind and laughed. He was so nervous.   
“How did you know I was there?”   
“I could sense you since I left. Do you want me to tell your nephew that his uncle is a pervert who follows girls?”   
He rushed from the tree to her, “Please, don’t. I was only making sure you were safe getting back to the Seireitei. I mean you are a woman, and women cannot protect themselves like us men can.”   
“Would you like for me to show you what I am capable of? I have fought several men in the Seireitei, and trust me, they were begging me to stop my onslaught before it was over.”   
The faces of Ikkaku and Yumichika popped in her head, “Sorry guys. I got to act tough.”   
He peered into her face. A blush appeared on his face as she stared intently into his eyes, “Like I said, we could use someone like you as a captain in the Seireitei, please accept my invitation and join the Academy to get certified. I would like to see our ranks get better captains than we already have for certain divisions, anyway.”   
She looked disgruntled and she was. She didn’t think that Sosuke Aizen deserved his position, but there was nothing she could do. He would uncover himself, eventually.   
Isshin saw her facial gesture and questioned her, “Who has upset you in the Seireitei? Why don’t you have your seat anymore? What incident are you talking about?”  
She looked up at him. She walked over beside of the gate and sat the jug of sake and sake buns on the ground again. They were getting quite uncomfortable in her arms. She stretched her arms and cracked her neck then took a seat beside of them on the ground. She patted the ground to have Isshin sit down with her.  
He was older than her, but she was acting like the older one. He hesitated but took the seat beside of her.   
“If I tell you these things, will you do as I have asked? It seems everyone wants something for information, so I think it would be fair if we trade those things, what do you say?” He nodded his head.   
The way she asked him to join the Seireitei was interesting and her story about her position being taken, and the incident was too much for him not to agree, “Deal!” They shook hands again because he grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously.  
Midori told him about graduating the Academy and receiving the 3rd seat position of the 6th division, how she fell in love with a fool who betrayed the Soul Society, and then about the incident that occurred years ago involving Hollowfication experiments. He was completely interested in all of it. She was not happy about spilling things about herself to a complete stranger, but she could see her own dad’s reflection in his eyes. His brown eyes reminded her so much of her father. She missed him.  
“That was a hell of an incident, and to think, they blamed you for taking part in it. That is some straight up garbage, if you ask me. I mean you can’t help you fell in love with someone who took advantage of your good nature.”   
She showed him a smirk. It caused her great happiness to hear someone she just met understood her side of all of it. She got up from the ground, grabbed her stuff, and went to leave.   
Before she went through the gate, Isshin called to her, “Midori Kyoraku! I will become a captain in the Seireitei and help you bring a new generation to the reins of the Seireitei. You have my word.”   
“Thank you, Isshin.” She bowed to him as the gate closed.   
A smile crept up on her face as she walked back to the 8th division barracks, “Kaien’s uncle is quite a different kind of Shiba, isn’t he?” she thought to herself.

*****  
She opened the door to her uncle’s office with a smile on her face. He looked up to her smile and wondered why she seemed to be in a good mood.  
“Why are we so happy? Midori, you didn’t eat a sake bun, did you?”   
She placed the jug and the box on his desk, “No, just met someone very interesting while I was out.”   
Shunsui’s mouth opened a little, “Are you cheating on Jushiro, Midori?”   
She shot daggers at him, “I would never do that! I just met Kaien Shiba’s uncle is all. He is an interesting guy. I think he will be joining the Seireitei as a captain in the future.”  
Her words caught Shunsui’s attention, “A new captain, you say. Was he that good?”   
“He has potential. Now, before you get me off of my mission and distract me, I brought you sake and buns, now, I would like to have the information you promised me.”   
Suddenly, the door opened and in came Jushiro to visit Shunsui, “Midori? I didn’t know you would be here. Shunsui invited me over for sake and buns, so I came to see him. It is good to see you, though.”   
He kissed her on the cheek and took his normal seat.   
“If you both will excuse me.” Midori walked out of the room and screamed.   
Both Shunsui and Jushiro looked at the door, “What is wrong with Midori?”   
Shunsui chuckled, “Midori is just frustrated is all.”   
Midori was upset, so she opened the door to her old room and walked in and plopped down on the bed.   
Thoughts rushed through her mind, “Stupid, uncle. He wanted me to ask Jushiro, myself. Why can he not just let me have a normal experience like any other girl?”   
“Ugh!” she let out in frustration.   
Her mind went back to Isshin, and then she realized that since Jushiro was here, she would just go and talk to Kaien about Jushiro. She walked out of her room and went to the 13th division barracks.

*****  
In the 13th division barracks, Midori saw two people in the courtyard talking, it was Kaien and his wife Miyako. His wife was taller than Midori. She reminded her of Captain Unohana. She had long black hair that she kept in a ponytail, and her personality was always pleasant to Midori. She was also the 3rd seat of the 13th division. She walked toward them but decided that they just wanted to spend time together, and it would be bad for her to interrupt.   
She turned to leave, but Miyako noticed her, “Well, if it isn’t little Midori.”   
Midori liked Miyako. She was a beautiful and genuinely wonderful person.   
She turned around nervously, “Good evening, you two.”   
“Midori, why are you here tonight? Is there something wrong with the captain?” Kaien’s concerned for his captain was something to behold.   
“Oh no. Captain Ukitake is with Captain Kyoraku, right now.”   
“Well, what brings you here,” Miyako walked toward Midori and grabbed her face. She could see the stress lines on her forehead.   
Midori looked at Miyako, “I asked my uncle to tell me when Captain Ukitake’s birthday was and his favorite food, but he bailed out after I went and got sake and sake buns for him. I just wanted to surprise Captain Ukitake for his birthday, and I heard it was the 21st, but I wanted to make sure without him knowing.”  
Kaien came over to her and placed his fist on her head, “You had me worried! You cannot come up looking like you did for just something so simple, besides why can you not just ask the captain yourself.”   
“Because my love, it would ruin her surprise for him, right Midori?”   
Midori shook her head at her words. She knew Miyako would understand.   
“Men are so dense, sometimes,” Midori thought to herself.   
“Well, if that is all. I can tell you.”   
“Please.”   
Kaien saw Miyako shake her head in reply to Midori’s pleas, and he couldn’t say no to his wife.   
“His birthday is the 21st, and he loves to eat ohagi.”   
Midori’s eyes lit up, “Really, thank you Lieutenant Shiba!”   
She hugged him and Miyako hugged them both. Kaien rolled his eyes at how Miyako acted like a kid around Midori, but she had that way around people. It was like her personality was contagious.  
Midori went to leave, but remembered that she needed to pay him back for the information, she didn’t know if this was of any help, but she mentioned her encounter from earlier, “I met your uncle while getting sake today in the 79th District.”   
Kaien’s eyes opened wide and then relaxed, “I see. Was he doing well?”   
“Yes, he is very energetic. He promised me he would enter the Seireitei and become a captain.”   
“What! Uncle is too lazy for that. You know how to pick them, don’t you Midori.” He laughed at the thought.   
Midori looked upset at him for laughing at her, “Well, I believe he will. He agrees with me when I told him that the Seireitei needed some new captains to change the operations of the Seireitei. They may even need a new Central 46 if you want my opinion.”  
Kaien placed his hand over Midori’s mouth before she could say anything else.   
She pushed him off of her, “What?”   
“Midori, it is not good for you to say things like that. After everything that has happened to you over the past several years with the incident, they will think you are trying to create an uprising,” Miyako told her in concern.   
“I just think that certain captains shouldn’t be in their position is all,” she turned her head and under her breath, “Like Sosuke Aizen.” Kaien heard her but did not mention anything else about it.   
“Well, if uncle puts his mind to it, I am sure you will see him as a captain in the future.”   
He wanted to get her mind off of what she had just said. He knew Midori was not stupid, but her thoughts sometimes ran away with her at the mouth.   
Midori started to read the atmosphere as being awkward, and she bowed to both of them, “Thank you for the information. I am sorry for interrupting your evening. You have a good night.”  
They waved to her as she left. Kaien thought back to his uncle, and then to what Midori said. It was true that Sosuke Aizen was someone to not be trusted, but to replace the captains with people who were trustworthy was hard to do when all the trustworthy people didn’t want to take the position to begin with.   
He looked at Miyako, “You know, Midori would have made a great captain. If she wasn’t banned from it, I would have had Captain Ukitake speak up for her.”   
“I know you would have, and you are right. She has grown up quite a bit since that time. It is a shame that she was banned from having a place here in the Seireitei, especially, since she is so talented.”   
They hugged each other and went back to talking about what they were before Midori had arrived.  
*****  
Midori went back to her room at the 4th division barracks. She entered her room and sat for a while in silence. She thought of what she could do for Jushiro since she knew for sure when his birthday was and what he loved to eat. She realized that she did not have much experience in cooking, but maybe Captain Unohana did. She was resolved to ask for her help in the morning. She only had 4 days as of tomorrow to plan something for him. She fell asleep thinking about the many things she could do for him on his birthday.  
The next morning, Midori woke and got dressed like normal. She walked down to Captain Unohana’s office and did not find her there. She began looking all over the barracks and found her teaching some of the members of the division to use Kaido. Midori walked right up to her and watched as they began to fall in line with their Kaido. She waited there until Captain Unohana gave the members a break.   
“No training today, Midori?”   
“No, ma’am. I wanted to come and ask you for a favor.”   
“What is that?”   
Captain Unohana was pulling out bags of the chiyu jeru Midori had invented several years ago and placed them in her medical box.   
“I was wondering if you can teach me how to cook ohagi?”   
Captain Unohana looked up at her and smiled, “Doing this for Jushiro?”   
Midori was floored. She didn’t know that Captain Unohana would know what Jushiro’s favorite food was.   
“You know what his birthday is too, right?”   
“Yes. Have you had some trouble figuring this stuff out?”   
“Have you talked with my uncle since, yesterday?”   
“Yes.” Captain Unohana smiled like she was up to something, and Midori knew it was her uncle’s doing.   
Captain Unohana noticed that Midori’s usual smile of late turned into aggravation.  
She walked over and placed a hand on Midori’s head, “I was not trying to pick on you. You want to do something nice for him. I understand. I don’t specifically know how to make ohagi, but there is a baker in the East Rukon that I know who will be happy to help you. Her name is Mei. Just go and ask her to help you. Tell her I sent you.”   
Midori smiled at her and bowed, “Thank you, Captain Unohana!”

*****  
Midori raced off to the East Rukon District to find Mei. She walked all over and finally found a small building that had a bread symbol on its sign. She walked in and found a woman who was probably Captain Unohana’s age kneading dough.   
“How can I help you?”   
Midori bowed at her, “Can you please teach me how to make ohagi?”   
The lady looked up to see Midori bowing at her. She looked confused but noticed that Midori had a Soul Reaper uniform on.   
“Is there not someone in the Seireitei that can teach you, I am busy.”   
“Captain Unohana sent me to you, specifically. She said you were the best.”   
“Are you talking about Yachiru Unohana?”   
Midori thought to herself. She had never heard anyone call her Yachiru. She only heard one person called Yachiru and that was Captain Zaraki’s lieutenant.   
“I am sorry ma’am, but Captain Unohana’s first name is Retsu by my understanding.”   
“That’s the one. Come on back here, my child. I will be happy to help you.”   
Midori spent day and night over the next 3 days trying to figure out how to make the ohagi from Mei. Mei was hard on her at every turn. It was something that did not come natural to Midori. She loved the way the bakery smelled and wished she had that type of talent. She had thought several times that maybe Jushiro would love to have a woman who was talented in cooking. On the 3rd day, Midori wiped her brow late into the evening and produced a box full of ohagi that were not perfect but tasted amazing.  
“You need some training on their appearance, but these are very tasty.”   
Midori smiled at her as they both ate one together. Midori was happy she could do something for Jushiro. Before night fell, Midori had thanked Mei by cleaning her shop for her. She bowed to her and took her surprise for Jushiro with her.   
“You enjoy those with the one you love, dear.”   
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, again!”  
Midori got back to her room at the barracks. She noticed Captain Unohana walking to her room.   
She called to her, “Captain Unohana?” Midori produced a napkin with several of the ohagi in it.   
“It is nice that you are back. Did Mei help you?”   
“Yes, ma’am. Here this is for you. Thank you so much for what you have done for me. I know it is not much, but--”   
Captain Unohana interrupted, “It will do, Midori. You are such a sweet girl. Thank you, too.”   
Captain Unohana took her gift from Midori and continued to her room. Midori was happy. She entered her room. She placed her gift for Jushiro on the table in her room and went to bed. She fell asleep thinking of how he would react to them.

*****   
Midori woke up the next morning later than she wanted. She did not know what she could dress in to celebrate Jushiro’s birthday. She could only think of one person who could help her and that was Yumichika. He had seemed to be someone who had some fashion sense about himself. He even took notice of things about her that Midori had never thought about.   
She raced over to the 11th division barracks and finally found him and Ikkaku talking in the courtyard.   
“Yumichika! Ikkaku!”   
They both looked at her. They remembered that they were going to take a break for a few days, but here she was.   
“I thought we were taking a break, Midori? Did you miss us and need some more training?” Ikkaku questioned her.   
“No, I just need Yumichika.”   
She grabbed Yumichika by the arm and pulled him with her back to the 4th division barracks.   
“We will talk later, Ikkaku!” Midori yelled as they left,   
Yumichika tried to question Midori as they went to her room in the 4th division barracks, but she ignored him for the time being. They entered her room. Yumichika looked around. Midori was a very clean person. Her futon was in the corner of the room bundled up and her desk and belongings were in their place. Yumichika thought that her room was dull, though. There was no color anywhere, and it kind of made him feel bad for her.   
“I don’t have much here, so please don’t stare at it like my room is horrible.”   
“Here? Where else do you have things?”   
“My uncle’s. I need your help.”   
“What kind of help do you need that I can only help you with?”   
“I need you to help me get ready for a birthday celebration between Captain Ukitake and me.” Yumichika was stunned at her assumption.  
He watched her as she pulled from her dressing trunk a dark plain dress and a yellow sun dress.   
“That sun dress would be beautiful, but it is too cold outside.”   
She looked up to him watching her, “What would you suggest? I want to look beautiful.”   
“Midori that will not be hard for you. Just put on your regular clothes and do something with that hair of yours. It’s so unruly.” Yumichika reached for her hair.  
He placed her in a chair and began French braiding her hair. He pinned it up with some bobby pins from Midori’s box on her desk and encircled the end of her hair into a flower on the back of her head. He pinned it down and went to the front of her face. He pulled down two even strands of hair that seemed to curl on their own.   
“Do you have any makeup?”   
“Yes, there.”   
She pulled out a small box that Lisa had given her years ago.   
Before handing it to Yumichika, she looked at him with pleading eyes, “Please, be careful with it. It was from someone special that I cannot see anymore.” He heard the sadness in her voice and gently took the box from her.   
He placed some eyeliner, mascara, and pale pink rouge on her lips. He saw a small mirror in Midori’s room which he picked up to show her. Midori saw that Yumichika was like Lisa in the fact that they could make her look completely different than she did every day.   
“Midori, I would not suggest you doing this every day.”   
“Why?”   
“Guys have a hard time keeping their eyes off of you as it is. I have seen it. If you wore stuff like this daily, those men would increase in number, and I am sure Captain Ukitake would be upset at others looking at what is his.”   
These words made Midori blush. Yumichika did not apply blush to her cheeks, and he noticed immediately. It made her even cuter to him. Her goofy smile was what made her so mesmerizing to him. She always knew how to show all her feelings in that one smile.   
Yumichika rummaged through Midori’s dressing trunk until he found a nice green sweater dress.  
“This would look good on you, Midori. Wear this.” He threw it to her.  
Yumichika stepped out of her room and waited. Midori put on the dress and looked at herself in the small mirror she had. It fit close to her hips and breast. It was not really something she wanted to wear. She got it from Lisa one year when she was younger and never wore it.  
She went to the door, shyly peeking out from it, “Yumichika, are you sure?”   
He opened the door and found Midori standing there in the green sweater dress that came a little above her knees. He was entranced by how beautiful she was. He walked back to her dressing trunk and found in the bottom a pair of black knee-high boots.   
“Wear these, too.”   
She pulled her long socks from the dressing trunk. She pulled them on and placed the boots over top them. He watched her zip the side of them and noticed how mature Midori looked. His heart skipped a beat, and a blush appeared on his face as she looked up placing a piece of hair behind her ear.   
“You look like you are ready. Go get him.” He patted her on the back.   
Midori was unsure about this. She had never worn anything like this. What would everyone think about her? She breathed in and got the confidence to go out like this. She grabbed her gift for Jushiro and walked with Yumichika to the 11th division. Yumichika noticed guys falling over themselves at how Midori looked as they walked by. He chuckled silently to himself.  
When they got to the 11th division, Yumichika and Midori parted ways, but not before Midori hugged him.   
He felt his face burn as he blushed at her gesture, “Thank you, Yumichika. I will see you guys tomorrow, and we can get back to training.”   
“Okay.”   
He placed a hand in front of his face as he walked past the gate, and Ikkaku met him, “What did she want, and why is your face so red?”   
“My face isn’t red. She just wanted help with a surprise for her boyfriend, is all.” Ikkaku picked on Yumichika as they continued into the 11th division. 

*****  
Midori walked into the 13th division and like Yumichika said, guys were looking at her. Her mind was set on Jushiro, but then she saw a girl run by her that was the same girl that she saw days before talking about Jushiro’s birthday. The girl did not see her, but Midori saw tears fall from her eyes. She turned to say something to her but stopped herself. She wondered at what happened. She kept walking, and Kaien saw her out of the corner of his eye.  
He watched as Midori knocked on Jushiro’s door, but there was no answer.   
Kaien walked up behind Midori, “It’s a shame you look so nice, and he is not here.”   
She turned around, “Where is he?”   
“He is down at the oak tree in the field.”   
“Okay. Is he warm down there?”   
Kaien gave her a long haori to wear over her outfit. She handed him her gift for Jushiro so she could put it on. He handed her the gift back as well as a few blankets for them. Midori walked past the koi ponds and down to the field. She found him laying against his favorite tree.   
She stood in front of him, and her shadow over him caused him to look up at her.   
With a smile on her face she looked down at him with such dear eyes, “Happy Birthday, Shiro!”   
His face lit on fire with her calling him Shiro. It was something new that he had never heard from anyone. She laid the blankets and the box on the ground and got down on her knees. She kissed his lips, and he kissed her back.   
When they parted, he expressed himself, “Thank you, Midori.”   
“I’m not done, yet.” She pulled her box of ohagi in front of her and gave it to him.   
He took the box and looked inside. He noticed that they were his favorite food and wondered how she could have known.   
He looked at her, “I made them for you.”   
He was surprised that she had made something for him which made him love them even more, “I can’t eat those.”   
“What do you mean? I made them so you could enjoy them.”   
“They are something that my precious girl made for me. If I eat them, they will be gone.”   
Midori blushed, “I can make them for you, again. Please enjoy them.”   
Jushiro took one from the box and bit down into it. He took in the flavor of the wonderful treat that Midori had made for him.   
He smiled at her, “They are delicious.”   
She smiled back at him, “I am glad you like them.”   
She watched him finish his piece of ohagi. He placed the rest of the box beside of him and welcomed her to sit with him between his legs, her favorite place.  
She grabbed one of the blankets that Kaien gave her and laid it over both of them. She snuggled into his chest as he sat there and held her.   
“Jushiro, are you not cold being out here? It is the first day of winter, today.”   
“I just felt like being out here, today. I normally don’t celebrate my birthday much. Your uncle and Retsu normally send me stuff, but we don’t get together for it.”   
“I want to celebrate it with you every year.” This surprised Jushiro. He waited for her to continue. “I want to celebrate it because it is another year that I get to be with you. It is in celebration of the birth of the man I love. That is why I always want to celebrate it with you.”   
Jushiro smiled at her explanation. It was kind of clumsy, but it made him happy. He kissed her head. They sat there until the sun began to set. Midori was getting worried about Jushiro being too cold. She looked up at him.   
He was resting his head against the tree with his eyes closed, “Jushiro? Are you okay?”   
He peered through his eyes down at her. His green eyes were staring right at her, and it made Midori’s heart skip.   
“I am getting a little cold. Do you want to go in?”   
“Please.”   
Midori got up, and she felt how cold it really was as the cold embraced the side of her that was laying against Jushiro. He too felt the cold. She got the blankets up, and he picked up his gift. They walked back to his room. He pulled Midori close to him, resting his arm around her waist.   
When they got back to his room, they walked inside, and Midori placed the blankets in the corner of the room and took off the haori that Kaien had given her. She took off her boots and socks and placed them at the door. Jushiro just stood there and watched her. He finally was able to see how beautiful Midori was, today. As she folded the haori and bent down to place it on the blankets,   
Jushiro came up from behind her and grabbed her, “You dressed up for me, Midori. Gorgeous as always.”   
Her face went red as she felt him holding her firmly against him. He placed his arm around her side resting his hand on her hip.   
“I wanted to look nice today because it is a special occasion.”   
She started to fidget with her sleeves. Jushiro noticed and it made butterflies appear in his stomach.   
“Midori, I love you.” He kissed her neck. She leaned into him.   
“I love you, too, Shiro.”   
Her pet name for him awoken something inside of him. He turned her around and placed her in a kiss. Midori kissed him back. He kissed her bottom lip, and she opened it to let his tongue explore her mouth. His kiss pushed her into ecstasy as she kissed him, eager for his touch. His hands reached around her backside and pulled her up to straddle him. Locked in a feverish kiss, she felt him lay her down on his futon. He began sliding his hand up her leg. She moaned under his kiss. Her sweater dress that was on the little side began to rip at the seam as he pushed it over her hips.  
She reached for the front of his uniform pulling at his sash. She pulled it off of him, and then undid the other sash that held his kimono closed. When his kimono was open, there was a knock at the door. Jushiro rolled his eyes as he got back up and tied his sash back. Midori tried to straighten her dress, but the rip was all the way over her hip on the left side. She stood where the person at the door would not be able to see it. Her pink rouge was smeared.   
Jushiro opened the door to see a girl standing there, “Captain Ukitake! I think you are awesome, and I wanted to give you this as a gift. Happy Birthday!”  
She pushed the gift in his arms and ran off. Jushiro looked down to a perfectly wrapped gift with fish all over it. Closing the door, he looked back to Midori. He noticed that she was standing there looking nervous. She was looking away from the door.   
Inside, she was questioning herself and their relationship, “Other girls like him, of course, but does he like the attention. Stupid, he is not like that. I don’t know if I can handle other girls liking him. I don’t know what I should say or do.”  
Jushiro saw her face jumbled with stress. He did not think much. He took the gift and placed it on his desk and flew to her. He grabbed her face and began kissing her, again.   
Through there kisses he spoke to her to ease her heart and mind, “The best birthday present I could ask for, is you, Ri.”   
“Ri?”   
He pulled from Midori to stare into her eyes, “My nickname for you, Ri. It means reason, and you, Midori, are my reason to live.” A tear fell down her eye as he just pledged his never-ending love for her.   
“I love you, Shiro,” she pulled him closer to her and kissed him, “I love my nickname.”   
“I love you, Ri.”  
They kissed each other back down to the futon and continued where they left off. Midori pulled back his kimono and began kissing his chest. She ran her tongue over his nipples which caused him to moan. He went back to sliding his hand up her dress again. She could feel his hand on her stomach and then her breast, which gained him a moan when he rubbed her nipple between his fingers. He lifted her dress further, exposing her breasts to him and her underwear. He pulled her dress over her head and bent down to kiss her. She slid his kimono off leaving him in his pants. She glided her hand down his abs into his pants and felt his erect member. When she went to rub him, he grabbed her hand from his pants and lifted it above her head with the other one.  
“I want to thank you properly for my birthday gift.” Midori blushed but let him continue.   
He kissed her neck and then down to her breasts where he took turns teasing each one with his tongue before sucking on them. He placed his hand inside of her panties and began rubbing her bundle of nerves. She arched her back and moaned in pleasure. He was happy with the way she reacted to his touches.   
He slid his finger down to her opening, “You are so wet, Ri.”  
His words caused her body to pulse from pleasure. She loved to hear him talk this way to her. He placed a finger inside of her causing her body to ache for more. He explored her more until she was dripping wet. He placed another finger inside of her, and when she started to have convulsions, he pulled her underwear off. He slid down to her opening and began to lick the bundle of nerves while his fingers were still inside. He was driving Midori crazy.  
In complete ecstasy, Midori did not notice when Jushiro had took off his pants and was now placing his erected member at her opening. She felt him rub her with it and then she sat up and pushed him down.   
“It’s only fair if I get to tease you, too,” Jushiro smiled and let her do what she wanted, “Happy Birthday to my Shiro.”   
She took his erected member in her mouth. He leaned back and watched her as she worked her head up and down his member.   
He was getting more and more excited watching her, “I’m going to--” She felt him come in her mouth.   
She swallowed it and looked at him, “It’s sweet.”   
She licked her lips which caused Jushiro’s mind to explode. He never knew that he would see this side of Midori. She straddled him, placing her opening above his still erected member. She looked down at him with her hands on his chest. He stared back up at her. She was completely exposed to him and it excited him at how beautiful she was. He placed himself in a seated position, holding on to her. He kissed her lips, running his fingers through her hair causing her braid to fall, and then he pushed himself into her opening. Midori clung to him. It had been so long since she had been with anyone, but all her mind could focus on was how good Jushiro felt inside of her.  
She placed her lips at his ear and then began sucking on it while he thrusted into her. She licked the outside of her ear and then sucked on his ear lobe. Her moaning caused Jushiro to go faster. He loved how she felt, and her moaning was driving him on the edge.   
Midori whispered in his ear, “Shiro, make me come.”   
Jushiro could feel Midori’s inner walls tightening around his member which caused them both to come at the same time. They sat there entangled in each other, panting. Midori rested her head against his shoulder facing his neck, and Jushiro laid his forehead on her shoulder. She kissed his neck and ran her hands through his hair. Jushiro turned his head and began kissing Midori’s neck. It sent electric sparks through her body.   
“I want you again, Ri.”   
She looked at him and kissed his lips, “Take me.”  
Midori and Jushiro made love again and again until they fell asleep from exhaustion. They embraced each other under the blankets that Kaien had given them. Their clothes were thrown all over the room.   
Jushiro noticed that Midori’s makeup was smeared when he woke the next morning. He sat beside of her still naked.   
He placed a hand on her cheek, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, Midori.”   
He kissed her cheek. He covered her bare body back up and got dressed. He placed her clothes in a neat pile beside of the futon and went to his desk. He noticed the package on his desk and picked it up.   
“You should open it, you know. It would be mean to just throw it away,” he heard Midori’s sleepy voice.   
She got up from his futon and started to dress herself. He watched her beautiful silhouette hugged by the sun trying to come through the curtains in his room. How her body glowed from their love making. She placed her socks back on before pulling a blanket from the futon and taking it over to him. He opened his arms for her to sit on his lap. She did as he wanted and sat down, leaning into him. He pulled the package in front of them.   
He opened it up and, it was an issue of a magazine that was popular with kids in the Rukon, the Seireitei Communications. Jushiro smiled at it.   
Midori looked at it, “I haven’t saw this issue, yet.”   
He handed it to her and watched her flip to the exact story that he didn’t want her to read, ‘Rejection of the Twin Fishes.’ He started to get nervous.   
It was then that Midori noticed the name of the author, “Shiro, you wrote these? I love Sogyo. He is my favorite character of all-time! You really are a genius writer, and I am not saying that because I love you.”   
He blushed at her compliment. He kissed her head as she read it in his arms. When Midori was finished, she looked up at him. He was still watching her.   
“Do you need a checkup, today?”   
“Is that code for something?” His looked at her with a perverted expression on his face.   
“No, I was being serious. Didn’t you get enough last night.” Midori tried to get up.   
“I can never get enough of you, Ri,” he pulled her back into his arms, “I want you every day, Ri. You complete me.”   
Midori snuggled her head into his chest. She was happy, “You complete me, too, Shiro.”  
When he let her go, she got up and had him lay down on the futon.   
She placed her head against his chest and heard a raspy sound, “I think we over did it last night. I will go and get my supplies and come back and examine you. Have Kaien make you some of the tea I brought you the other day.”   
“You’re leaving right, now?”   
She placed a hand on his cheek, “You have to be in tip top health if you want any more of what you got last night,” she paused to kiss his lips, “Besides I want to make sure you are healthy, safe, and sound.”   
She got back up and walked to the door, making sure to take the haori with her to cover the rip in her dress. It seemed she would not wear that again unless she mended it first. She placed her boots on and went to the 4th division barracks. When she arrived at her room, she changed her clothes and got her medical supplies.   
She walked back to the 13th division to see Kaien’s worried face, “What is wrong?”   
“Captain went into another fit when you left.”   
Midori’s eyes went wide. She rushed past him to see Jushiro in his futon under a blanket. She saw a napkin that was discarded into the trash and it had blood on it.   
Jushiro noticed her worried face. Her hands shook as he pulled her green activating chiyu jeru out of her medical box. She opened his kimono without permission and applied the chiyu jeru and began Kaido. Tears fell from her eyes. She blamed herself. He watched her face while trying his best to be still. He wanted to embrace her, to stop her tears, and to help her from feeling horrible. He could how much she was upset because during the Kaido, her hands would not stop from shaking.  
When the Kaido treatment was finished, Midori placed her chiyu jeru back into her box. She sat silent beside of him while he tied his kimono.   
She stared at the floor, “It’s my fault. I am sorry, Jushiro. If we wouldn’t have--”  
He placed his hand on her cheek to stop her from worrying and blaming herself. He pulled her face to his and kissed her lips. Her wet cheeks pressed into his.   
“Midori, it is not your fault. I just forgot to take my regular tea and medicine, yesterday. I am sorry for making you worry.” She hugged him gently.   
“I don’t want you to leave me. Please, stay with me.”   
He rubbed her back, “Always. I promise.” He kissed the side of her head.   
Jushiro knew that Midori had a record of people leaving her. Her parents, ‘him,’ Lisa, Kensei, Rose all left her. The fact that she could no longer seen any of them anymore is what caused her to create a fear in her mind of being alone. She grasped Jushiro kimono, tightly.   
He could feel that she was not letting this go, “Do you want to stay with me, today? Will that help ease your mind?”   
She was supposed to train with Ikkaku and Yumichika, today, “I have training, today. I would love to stay with you until then and come back and stay with you, again afterward. Is that alright?”   
“As long as it eases your mind, Ri.” He kissed her eye lids and then her lips. She kissed him back.  
Midori stayed close to Jushiro all morning long. When noon came, she got up and went off to the 11th division, making sure that Kaien sat in with him during her training. She made him promise to stay with Captain Ukitake till she got back. He agreed.   
She met Ikkaku and Yumichika at the training grounds. It was empty, but there were two new visitors who came to join them, Captain Zaraki and Yachiru. When Midori saw Captain Zaraki, she knew that he would want to fight with her, but she didn’t have it in her. Her mind was on Jushiro.   
Yumichika saw the look on Midori’s face and it concerned him, “Did it not go well, last night? I thought for sure it would with what you were wearing.”   
“It went fine. Everything was going fine until he had a coughing attack this morning.” Yumichika and Ikkaku looked concerned for Midori.   
They could see her mind was flooded with worry about Captain Ukitake.   
Captain Zaraki could sense that Midori was not in the mood to train, “I think you should go back and spend time with him. We can fight another day. After the New Year, girl. You and I will fight. Be ready.”   
“I am sorry, guys. We can resume this, tomorrow. Thank you, Captain Zaraki. I look forward to it.” They all watched Midori leave.   
“Captain, did you just show concern for Midori? That looked like concern didn’t it, Ikkaku?”   
“Oh, yes. Kenny has a special place in his heart for that girl!”   
“Hush, you,” he fussed at Yachiru, “I don’t see a reason to fight someone whose spirit is just not in it. We will have a grand battle after the New Year.”   
Captain Zaraki got up from his spot on the training ground and walked off with Yachiru hanging off his shoulder.   
“I think that she has pushed herself into the Captain’s heart as well.”   
“No way. It’s her fighting spirit that he wants to fight!” Yumichika rolled his eyes at Ikkaku.

*****  
Midori raced back to Jushiro and pushed opened the door to his room.   
Kaien was surprised to see her back so soon, “Training was cancelled?”   
“Yes.”   
Midori was breathing heavy. She walked over to Jushiro and hugged him. He could sense the worry that she was washed in.   
Kaien got up for his seated position and walked to the door, “I will leave you two alone.”   
“Thank you, Lieutenant Shiba,” Midori’s voice was weak.   
“Yea.”   
Midori stuck to Jushiro like glue. Everything he needed; she took care of it. He was happy that she was worrying over him, but for the first time, he felt like a burden on her.   
“Midori, am I a burden on you.”   
She rushed to him, “Never. I want to take care of you. Just let me help you until you are better, and if I am smothering you, I can leave.”   
He pulled her next to him, “I don’t want you to leave. Just sit right here with me.”   
She leaned into him and began to read with him what he was reading. It was something she had to get used to. She stopped him a few times so she could finish reading what they were reading together, but they laughed about it, and eventually, Midori was catching up to him. They sat together reading for the whole afternoon.   
As night fell, Midori and Jushiro were tired. They cuddled together in his futon. It was one of the most calming sensations for her to be wrapped in his arms as they slept. Before she drifted off to sleep, she could hear the raspy breathing from his lungs leave as his strong heartbeat echoed in her ear. She was finally comforted that he was safe and sound. She fell asleep in his arms.


	14. Testing Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Midori found out when Jushiro's birthday was. She dressed up for him, made his favorite food, and went to celebrate it with him. She gave him another surprise while they were alone in his room. The next day while Midori went change and grab her medical device and medicine, she came back to find out that Jushiro had a coughing episode. Upset, Midori tried very hard to help him. Worried during training, she was sent back to his side by Captain Zaraki. Midori stayed with him the rest of the day.
> 
> And now....Chapter Fourteen: Testing Determination....

It was after the New Year. Midori had kept training with Ikkaku and Yumichika. She would hear them complaining about it being cold, but she knew that this would be the best time to train. It would help them build stronger lung compacity that would help extend their endurance and stamina. Her routine became something of a norm for her. She would train in the afternoon with them, and then she would go to the 13th division to check in on Jushiro and spend time with him. Several times, she had to make a trip to the 8th division because Jushiro was visiting with her uncle. She was still kind of upset at him. He had tricked her, and she wasn’t going to let him off the hook as easy as saying he was sorry.   
Captain Unohana was glad that Midori had a routine. Since she was a go between in the Seireitei and really did not have many duties with regards to a division, she was free to do what she needed to do. Captain Unohana was happy for her that she seemed to be returning back to her old self. She watched as Midori left one morning dressed in her stealth uniform to go and train in the 11th division barracks. She smiled as she vanished out of the gate.  
Midori made her way to the 11th division. She had a feeling that today was going to be the day that she would finally be able to have that one on one fight with Captain Zaraki. She entered the training grounds for the 11th division, and it was completely empty except for Ikkaku, Yumichika, Captain Zaraki, and Yachiru. They looked at her as she came into view. Ikkaku and Yumichika smiled at her, and then she saw Captain Zaraki’s face. He was just staring at her like he was waiting for something.   
“So, today we battle!”   
She knew it. She smirked at him and turned around to walk out onto the field without greeting anyone. Captain Zaraki let Yachiru jump down from his shoulder as he went to meet Midori on the battlefield.   
“He didn’t even give her time to greet us,” Ikkaku said frustrated.   
“Kenny is excited to finally fight her.” Yachiru sat down on the rock Kenny had dropped her on.  
As soon as Midori turned around to face Captain Zaraki, she was surprised at him charging at her. She flashed stepped out of the way. He smiled and swung around to hit her with his Zanpakuto. She dodged and flashed stepped away from him.   
“Well, if he is going to play this way,” Midori thought to herself as she flashed stepped quickly toward him and kicked him in the side. He did not budge.   
Yumichika and Ikkaku looked on in shock, “How did that not make contact?”   
“She’s trying to fight him with no spiritual pressure,” Yachiru answered Ikkaku.   
Captain Zaraki let Midori jump away from him without swiping his blade at her. She turned her head, and then she saw it. There was a yellow glow that covered his entire body.   
She made a mental note, “A shield with his spiritual pressure. I never thought of doing that.”   
She smiled and cracked her neck. Kenny could see that she was getting ready for their battle. Midori let about twenty percent of her spiritual pressure out and tried her technique, again. This time she heard Kenny groaned. She had made some contact.   
“It seems that shield of yours is stronger than I thought.”   
“Oh, you can see it. That’s an accomplishment, you should be proud.”   
Midori knew he was making fun of her. She flipped back and landed couched down. Ikkaku and Yumichika had never seen this before. They looked on in anticipation. Midori let go of fifty percent of her spiritual pressure, and it caused some of the rocks around them to crumble. Kenny laughed at her.   
“Are you ready now, girl?”   
“You’ll see.”   
She flashed stepped from her position and landed a kick to his head. Kenny went flying but used his Zanpakuto to pull him back into battle. Midori went on a defensive as Kenny tried to strike her with his blade. She could feel his spiritual pressure getting more intense, but she didn’t want to awaken anything above her fifty percent. She flashed stepped from him and pulled her Zanpakuto from her hips. It released Seigi’s spiritual pressure all at one time and immediately turned into axes. The strength of all of that spiritual pressure mixed with Midori’s excited Kenny.   
He rushed toward her and their Zanpakutos collided. She noticed that Kenny had not transformed his and wondered why.   
“Why haven’t you called out your Zanpakuto into its shikai?”   
“It is already in its shikai form.”   
Midori was disappointed she knew that was definitely not his shikai. She could hear it screaming at her.   
“Can you not hear her screaming?”   
“Her? Are you trying to take my mind off this battle?”   
“No, just thought you would want to know.”   
Midori pushed Kenny with her axes. She held one in her left hand to steady his blade and swung the other at Kenny. He jumped back to avoid it. She retreated her shikai back to its katana form.   
“Do you think I am done?”   
“If you cannot transform your Zanpakuto into its shikai form, I will not either. A fight should be fair, should it not?”   
Kenny was getting pissed off, but he understood her meaning. He knew that she wanted everything to be fair, but he had enough strength in him to beat her.   
“Captain Unohana and I fought years ago,” his words surprised Midori. He knew that Captain Unohana was her role model, “and she did not have a problem with it. Are you saying that you are better than Captain Unohana?” Midori never thought she was better than anyone.   
She transformed her Zanpakuto back into axes, “If this is what you want Kenpachi Zaraki, I will give it to you.”   
Midori raced toward him with her axes in hand. A long leather wrap that hung off of them was wrapped several times around her wrists. It was something that she had added. It helped her keep a grip on them better.  
Kenny smiled and collided with her axes, “I only want to fight. I live to fight.”   
“Is that how you want to die, Captain Zaraki, in battle?”   
“If only the angel of war could claim me.”  
He pulled back his blade and swiped at her. Midori jumped back and then she felt Captain Zaraki’s spiritual pressure get stronger.   
“Midori, I think he has part of his spiritual pressure hidden. Do you think it has anything to do with that eye patch?”   
“I don’t know, Seigi. I’m honestly afraid to ask him.”   
“Talking to yourself, girl!”   
“Does he even know my name?” she rolled her eyes and ran toward him.   
She leaped at his sword swing and jumped on his blade, it shocked her from his mere spiritual pressure. She flashed stepped quickly rubbing her leg. It tingled.   
“What the hell was that?”   
Kenny smiled. He was happy that he finally had an opponent that he could actually compete with. He ran toward her and Midori felt overwhelmed. She tried to dodge his attack, but her leg was asleep, and she felt a sting on her leg as he swiped with his sword down on her. She, immediately, saw beads of blood appear on her leg. She flashed stepped far away to give her time to heal her leg. She started Kaido on it when Kenny noticed a green light coming from Midori’s hand.   
“It’s interesting you think you have time for that!”   
He raced toward her and flashed stepped behind her. She was stunned but jumped immediately to avoid it. She hated that now she was playing cat and mouse, and she was the mouse. Her leg stung, and she didn’t have time to heal it.   
“Looks like I am going to have to work on that more,” she reminded herself.  
Midori stood with the leg of her pants sliced.   
She shook her head, “My favorite pair.”   
The cold was beginning to enter into her lungs. She could feel it pushing against her, but it only caused her to feel alive. She pushed past the needles in her chest and started on the offensive. She pushed out an additional ten percent of her spiritual pressure as she ran toward Kenny. She started swinging her axes at him over and over again in a fury of attacks. Kenny was now on the defensive. He felt his feet push back as Midori swung at him. Her arms were feeling tight, but she had to continue. She wanted to give Kenny what he wanted.   
They jammed their Zanpakutos together for a moment, “Bring out your Soul Image, girl!”   
“I don’t do that unless there are two of you.”   
“Forget that, I can just increase my spiritual pressure if that will make you bring her out.”   
“Fine!”  
Midori was not happy with this decision, but she jumped back away from him and an orange light enveloped her. Kenny was happy when he saw two of her. Midori threw her black axe to her double, and they both flashed stepped toward Kenny and both kicked at him. They collided together at his stomach at the same time. He could feel the pain as a couple of his ribs were broken. Kenny felt them break, but they did not bother him too much. He laughed which caused brown eyed Midori to jump away from him. Violet eyed Midori was left with only one ax, and she noticed she was vulnerable when Kenny kicked her and sent her flying.   
Yumichika stepped away from Ikkaku to go toward her, “She needs to learn, Yumichika. Midori needs to learn that not everyone fights fair like her.”   
“But I know for a fact that hurt.”   
Midori could feel the sharp pain in her ribs. She touched her side and felt two ribs broken.   
“Guess that was payback,” she told herself.  
She stumbled to get up, but she forced herself to do it. She mentally called her double back to her. She felt her nose bleed. It was the first time in her whole life that her nose bled. She stared cold at Kenny.   
He could see her face, “Now, she’s ready.”   
Midori could feel a part of her mind lose focus. It was like all she could feel was rage. She pushed out the other forty percent of her spiritual pressure, and it was like lightning pulsed through her veins. She flashed stepped so quick that Kenny didn’t see it. She punched him so hard that it sent him flying through a rock. She wasn’t done yet, either. She walked toward him letting him get back up. Her Soul Image was still by her left side protecting her injuries. She saw Kenny flash step at her, and his blade connected with her ax, but she pushed him off.   
“What the hell! Midori has never been like that with us,” Ikkaku complained.   
“No, she hasn’t used all her spiritual pressure at once on us, and there were two of us.”   
“She is scared. She fears Kenny will defeat her.” They both looked at Yachiru who was still sitting there happy. She had a huge smile on her face. “She won’t hold it for long. Her body will give out.”   
“What,” Yumichika jerked his head back to see Midori’s Soul Image was fading!  
Midori heard her ax hit the ground, ‘Damn, its over already.’   
She reached to pick it up, and as she got both her axes back, she was kicked through a rock by Kenny. He had summoned more of his spiritual pressure, but his eye patch still rested on his face. Midori jumped toward him from the rubble that laid around her and in one swipe she cut the strap on his eye patch.   
“Now, you can use all of your spiritual pressure. You wanted a fight, right?”   
He smiled and a surge of spiritual pressure pushed out of him. It bore down on everyone there even Midori could feel the tension from it.   
She stabled her leg that was still bleeding, and her ribs ached from pain, but she was ready for this battle to continue. When Kenny turned around, he held on to his Zanpakuto with two hands.   
Midori had never saw him once so far use both his hands on his Zanpakuto, “Switching to Kendo, I see.”   
“You know? It’s no wonder people see you as surprisingly intelligent. You are very observant.”   
He lifted his sword in the air, and then Midori felt it. The seal on her arm began to burn. The Hollow inside of her was fighting against her.   
:Is it because my spiritual pressure cannot keep it at bay?” she questioned herself.  
She grabbed her arm and watched Kenny as a yellow skull was produced behind him by his immense spiritual pressure. She was surprised at his attack, but her mind was on her seal.  
“Captain Zaraki, don’t!”   
He did not hear her well, and then he swung down his blade on her. Midori felt it surge through her, and then her hand transformed. It produced long claws and black skin on her left arm. She held his blade at her fingertips, and her eyes were golden slits. Everyone was surprised at how Midori had stopped his attack.   
“Not now!” She berated herself.   
Kenny spiritual pressure pushed out past his blade and cut into her body leaving scraps and deep cuts, but his blade did not make any contact to her.   
She glared at him with her golden eyes. He peered around and saw that Midori had changed, and a new spiritual pressure that was dark and evil took the place of her regular spiritual pressure.   
“Run,” Midori screamed out!   
She pushed her spiritual pressure around the evil spiritual pressure that flowed out of her. Her right hand began to glow yellow as she tried to seal the place on her arm. She was holding back the Hollow inside of her with all that she had. Her hand began to change back into her normal hand, and her skin turned back from black to a pale flesh color. Her eyes did not change.   
She lifted her head, and a screeching scream came out of her, “I said, RUN!”   
Everyone was shocked. Yumichika ran off toward Midori and Ikkaku and Yachiru followed him. They got to Kenny who had sheathed his sword and was standing there staring at her. He was confused.   
“How did Midori become a Hollow?” entered his mind as he walked toward her.   
She glared at him more, “Get out of here while I can hold it in!”   
He dropped to his knees and noticed that Midori’s whole face and arms were covered in cuts, and she was still herself, but her eyes were not hers.   
“Midori, how long have you been a Hollow?” Her Hollow eyes showed a scared look.   
“He’s not afraid of me. Why won’t he listen?” her thoughts questioned his demeanor. It shocked her.   
Yumichika and the others noticed Midori’s eyes, too, and they placed their hands on their Zanpakuto. They did not know what to make of her.   
“Don’t draw your weapons. Midori, just concentrate.”   
She closed her eyes and focused on her seal. The yellow light around the seal began to sink into her skin. She could feel it burning, and then she opened her eyes to see it turn from gray to black.   
“It’s working,” she was relieved.  
Finally, Midori felt that the seal was complete, and she looked up at him. Kenny saw looking at him the violet eyes of Midori. He was relieved. He grabbed her head, placing his head against hers. He saw himself in her. Her struggling self. It was right what Yachiru said. Midori had a special place in Captain Zaraki’s heart. He stood when he felt the others staring at him.   
Midori was confused, “Why did Captain Zaraki do that?”   
She got up from the ground not taking her eyes off of him.  
“You can call me Kenny like Yachiru does, if you want.” She smiled at him.   
Yumichika noticed all the cuts on Midori’s face. They were small, but they did not look good on a lady, “Captain, look what you did to her face.”   
“Midori? How long have you had that inside of you?”   
Kenny was talking about her Hollow. Everyone wanted to know. They all stood in silence waiting for her to answer.   
“I have had it in me since the incident with Kisuke Urahara. It was done by an experiment that he was working on. The tattoo on my arm is a seal for my Hollow. Not many know about it because Commander Yamamoto said that if people knew they would fear me.”   
“How were you not killed?” Kenny pushed her. He wanted to know more.  
Midori gulped cold air down her dry throat, “There were people there the day I tried to kill Commander Yamamoto that wanted me alive. I transformed for the first time in the 1st division barracks and had the intent to kill everyone. I was scared by it. It was like it consumed me. If it was not for Captain Unohana, I would have been either killed, or I would have killed everyone in the Seireitei.”   
Ikkaku, Yumichika and Yachiru all gasped at her words. They couldn’t look at Midori, not like Kenny was. He pitied her. He could feel the intent of the Hollow inside of her when her eyes changed. He placed his hand on her head, again.   
“It will be alright, Midori. We will keep your secret, and you can still train here with us. I would advise though not to use all of your spiritual pressure, again. It seemed that may have triggered it.” Midori looked up at Kenny and smiled.   
“Thank you, Kenny. I am glad that you guys are not scared of me.” She looked at everyone. They all looked at her.   
“Why would we be scared of you? You are just Midori,” Yumichika grabbed her arm in his, “but we need to do something about these scratches on your face. They do nothing for your beauty.” Midori chuckled, but a sharp pain stopped her.   
“That fight was incredible. Thank you for the broken ribs, Captain.”   
“I should also thank you for the broken ribs as well.”   
He smiled and walked off with Yachiru on his shoulder. Midori had found someone else to add to her list as a role model.   
“Kenpachi Zaraki, you have my respect, my praise, and my loyalty,” she thought to herself reveling in her accomplishment of receiving Kenny’s respect.  
Yumichika and Ikkaku held their arms around Midori and helped her back to the 4th division barracks. Her spiritual pressure that was left from that battle was being used to hold the seal on her and the Hollow beneath it at bay. When they walked through the gate to the 4th division, Hanataro saw them.   
He rushed to them, “Midori? Are you alright? Let me go and get Captain Unohana.” He shuffled off to get her.  
Midori looked from side to side to see that Ikkaku and Yumichika were waiting patiently, “Thank you for bringing me back. Thank you for being my friends.”   
They both blushed at her words. They always thought of Midori as a friend, but it was through their acceptance of who she was that made her finally feel that they were.   
“We’ve always been friends, Midori.”   
“Yea, no matter what. We’ve got your back.” Midori smiled to stop the happy tears from falling.   
Captain Unohana saw Midori and raced to her, “What happened to her? Who did this?” Yumichika and Ikkaku let her go, leaning her on Hanataro.   
He walked Midori to her room as Captain Unohana stood there waiting for answer, “Captain Zaraki and Midori were fighting.”   
“Yea, but she gave him some broken ribs, too,” Ikkaku pushed out after Yumichika. They could see Captain Unohana was not happy.   
“You go back, and you tell Kenpachi Zaraki that this was uncalled for. He could have killed her!” They both rubbed their heads.   
“Oh, and one more thing, Captain Unohana,” Ikkaku started, “Don’t tell her that,” Yumichika interrupted him. Captain Unohana’s face started to scare them, so Ikkaku yelled out what he was going to and then they ran off, “Midori’s seal broke!”   
“Tsk. Cowards.”   
Captain Unohana rolled her eyes and went in to see Midori.   
She was sitting on her futon while Hanataro was fussing over her, “You have to lay down, Midori. Those are serious wounds.”   
“I am fine.”   
“I don’t think so, lay down,” Captain Unohana commanded her with an agitated tone. Midori did as she was told and laid down.  
“Why were you fighting with Captain Zaraki? I have told you not to push yourself. I knew before those two told me that your seal broke. I could feel that evil spiritual pressure from all the way in the 11th division.” She checked Midori’s arm.   
She was surprised to see that the seal had turned black, again, “Did you seal it on your own?”   
“Yes, ma’am. I had to use the rest of my spiritual pressure to seal it. Did I do it correctly?’   
“Yes, well I will double check it. First, we need to heal your ribs and those cuts on your skin. I can’t believe Kenpachi would do this.”   
“Don’t blame him, Captain Unohana, I wanted to fight him, too.” Midori smiled at her, and she huffed.   
She healed Midori’s ribs and the cuts on her skin. She started the seal on Midori’s arm and found that Midori had sealed it, completely.   
She patted her head, “Now, that you are healed it’s time to rest. No training for a week and no going anywhere. I want you to rest and recover.”   
Midori shook her head, even though, she was against it. She had to listen to the woman she trusted and loved like a mother.   
“Yes, ma’am, mom.”   
Calling Captain Unohana mom made her heart skip a beat, and her face blush. She was happy to hear it from Midori. It placed her in good spirits. She hugged Midori, and her and Hanataro left the room.   
“Get better soon, Midori,” Hanataro called to her as Captain Unohana closed the door.  
Midori calmed her heart from beating so fast. She was happy. She was happy that Kenny trusted her and that he wanted to protect her secret. She was happy they didn’t run from her or try to kill her for being a Hollow. She felt that her friends and family were getting bigger as she started over in the Soul Society. Maybe one day, she would have an even bigger family, and people she could trust whole heartedly. She laid down on her futon, covered herself up, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

*****  
Day one was the beginning of hell for Midori, not only did she have to stay in her room and rest, but she could not see anyone, and she could not train. All she thought about was to get Kenny to teach her how to create that shield with spiritual pressure.  
She began her long days thinking about what she could be doing, “Maybe I could write Byakuya a letter. I haven’t seen him in a while, and I do believe that Ginrei and Sojun did pass since the last time I saw him. I bet he is in horrible shape. I hate that I stopped going to visit him, but Captain Unohana told me not to because of the attack years ago. Oh, and there is the part where he got married to a girl. I think her name was Hisana. I hope he is making her happy.”   
Midori walked over to her desk and started writing a letter.  
Day two, Midori had found a comfortable spot leaning on a small table next to her balcony. She lazed around in her uniform whites.  
She began to wonder about the Seireitei, “Let’s see, how many captains are still needed in the Seireitei. 1st Division has Grandfather Yamamoto, 2nd Division now has Soi Fon, I bet she is a pain in the butt. She was when Yoruichi was around, 3rd division is still vacant, I believe. I miss Rose. He was always a great friend to talk to. The 4th Division is my new mother, Captain Yachiru Retsu Unohana. I wonder if she would get mad at me calling her Yachiru…I bet she would. 5th Division, yuck! That bastard, Sosuke Aizen. Let’s wish that is short lived. I really do miss Shinji. He was so helpful in escaping Aizen back then. Did I ever thank him? The 6th Division is my handsome friend, Byakuya. I bet he has grown up into an even more handsome husband. Make a note to check that out. Lord, my head is messed up. Why am I even thinking about him when I have Jushiro, ugh!”   
She paused for a time. She, suddenly, got bored of her rambling and watched the trees blow in the breeze as she fell asleep.   
Day three, Midori was lounging again in her new favorite spot. She would walk around her room from time to time, but her thoughts went back to the captains of the Seireitei.  
“I left off with Byakuya, I think. 7th division, now, has Sajin Komamura. I wonder what kind of guy he is. I heard he wears a bucket on his head. That sure is a funny thing to wear as a captain. I wonder why? Then there is the great 8th division, my sweet uncle is over and has been for centuries. No wonder he is lazy, I would be too after that long. The 9th division, man I miss Kensei. He was so interesting to watch get mad at Mashiro. I miss her, too. I think they replaced him with Kaname Tosen, that guy is creepy, and it’s not the fact that he is a good sword fighter and he is blind. I would never hold that against him. It is the fact that he came back unharmed when he went out with Kensei’s company during the incident. Did this guy have a guardian angel or something back then? I need to put that on a list to question him some time. The 10th Division has been vacant for so long! I really hope Isshin does what he said and becomes a captain real soon. So much potential.”   
Midori’s thoughts started to get away with her. She started thinking back on all the people she lost because of the incident. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about how she would never see them, again. She stopped for the day. She made a mental note to start back tomorrow with the 11th Division.  
Day four, Midori began again in the same spot. It was becoming a normal day to day occurrence. She did not bother with her hair either. She just let it lay on her shoulders.  
“So, 11th division is my new favorite, Kenpachi Zaraki. He is definitely a role model for me. He is strong, caring, and he understands people and their situations. I also like hanging out with him, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru. The best. The 12th Division used to be “him,” but now Mayuri is over it. I really don’t want to go visit him. He is even more creepier than the new recruits for that place.”   
She tried to push Kisuke from her mind, but there he was like a thorn. She could still see his funny smile, the way his hair was always a mess, and how he caught her from falling that one time.   
She smiled at the thought of him, “You were the good guy, right? Aizen tricked us, right?”   
She wanted to believe that was true, but everyone told her otherwise. He did abandon her.   
She slammed her fist on the table, “Bastard!” her mind became clear when she thought of Jushiro, “Saving the best for last, my Shiro’s Division, the 13th. I really like everyone on his squad even Kiyone and Sentaro. They still don’t trust me fully, but they have warmed up to me. I really miss, Shiro. I want to see him, soon.”  
Thoughts of Jushiro flowed through her mind. Thoughts of them together and naughty thoughts of them. She started drooling at the thought, then she snapped out of it, someone was bringing her dinner. She ate quietly without even looking at the person who brought it to her. She was a mess.  
The next two days went by crazily. She still talked to herself, making plans to visit Shunsui, Jushiro, and Kenny. She wanted to make sure that they all knew she was safe, and she wanted to see them. She missed them. Her thoughts began to wonder about the spring that Kisuke had taken her to several times.   
“Where was that spring, again? It was under the 2nd Division, I believe. It has been a long time since I have been there. The location is still a little fuzzy.”   
She nodded to herself on the sixth day. She was ready to be out of this room and back to doing her daily routine. Captain Unohana did come and check on her from time to time to make sure the seal was still in place and her injuries were coming along well. She made note of Midori’s appearance, but Midori didn’t care. She felt like she was being held against her will, and that no one was going to free her.   
Day Seven, freedom! Midori was leaning on her makeshift lounging chair when the door opened, and it was Hanataro. He stared at Midori in surprise. It was like her body glowed with the opening of that door and the sun shining through it. Her hair was all over the place, and her eyes were soft.   
She looked at him and in a quiet voice, “May I be freed from here?”   
Hanataro bowed to her, “Sorry, Midori that you had to stay in here so long, but yes, Captain Unohana has told me to tell you that you are free.”   
A large smile pushed itself onto her face. She jumped up from her comfortable seat and hugged Hanataro.   
Hysterically, she started screaming, “I am FREE!”   
He laughed at her excitement. When she let him go, he excused himself with thoughts of her disposition coursing through his mind, “Midori has lost it in seven days, but I won’t tell her that.”   
She stopped him before he shut the door, “Hanataro, will you please send this letter to Captain Kuchiki in the 6th division. I cannot go there, unfortunately, and I would really like to send him this letter.”   
“Sure, I will be happy to.”   
“Thank you!” He closed the door.  
Midori cleaned the musk smell from her body and dressed in her regular uniform because her stealth uniform was all ruined due to her battle. She combed her long locks and created a wave in them. She braided them onto one side and placed them over her left shoulder. She took a step to her door and breathed in the fresh air as she reopened the door. The cold air pushed onto her face and into her lungs. She walked out of the 4th division barracks and made her way to the 8th division barracks. She wanted to make sure that her uncle knew she was not still mad at him. It was several months ago that he had tricked her, and she had not gone to see him other than to see Jushiro. She was feeling kind of down. It really did not bother her that he was playing a cruel joke on her, but she felt bad.

*****  
Hanataro made it to the 6th division barracks and knocked on the captain’s office.   
He heard Byakuya’s voice from within, “Enter.”   
Hanataro entered to find that Byakuya was there with his wife. His wife was a very petite lady. Her hair was so the it framed her face, and she had one strand the fell between her eyes. Her disposition showed that she was not a pushover. She watched as Hanataro spoke with her husband. She was interested in everything having to do with Byakuya. She loved to learn new things about him.  
He bowed, “I have come to deliver a message from Midori. She wishes she could be here in person, but Captain Unohana has not lifted her ban since the attack. I am sorry.”   
He handed the letter to Byakuya. His wife noticed him place it in his drawer.  
“Thank you. Tell her that I am sorry she cannot come in person.”   
“Yes, sir.” Hanataro scrabbled to leave.  
Hisana looked at Byakuya with a question, “Who is this Midori?”   
Byakuya surprised turned his head to her, “She is an old friend.”   
“I see. I will leave you, then.” Byakuya watched her leave.   
He leaned back in his chair, thinking about Midori, “Why won’t you come here in person, Midori. I know for sure that Captain Unohana has told me you have had permission for some time to come visit me. Maybe me being married makes her feel uncomfortable.”   
He pulled the letter from his desk. He could smell Midori’s honeysuckle perfume on it. He opened it in a rushed fashion. He had missed hearing from her. He missed seeing her, even more. He looked at her writing. It was calm and somehow vitalizing to him.

Byakuya,  
It has been a long time since we have talked. I have heard over the years of the loss of your grandfather and your father. They were both very honorable and caring men. I loved serving both of them in my time as 3rd seat. I, surely, will miss them as I know you do, too. I wanted to let you know that I have been doing fine. I have been training again with the 11th division, under the watchful eye of Captain Zaraki. He is a really good captain. I bet you have met him, so you already know. I wanted to tell you this in person, but I can’t. I don’t have the necessary strength yet to travel to you. I fear that those who have hurt me before will hurt me again, and I am in no way talking about members of your division. There are just others who I cannot trust in the Seireitei, but anyway. I wanted to tell you that I am currently in a relationship with someone. He is an amazing guy, and he treats me well. I know you have Hisana. I really hope I got her name right. If not, I am so sorry. I will apologize to you repeatedly when I see you. If you are wondering who I am talking about. The guy I am with. It is Captain Ukitake. Please don’t be upset or depressed about it. I know how you get. I just hope that you took my advice and are giving Hisana, again sorry if that is not right, the best life possible, and that you are loving her like she deserves. You deserve a happy life and in no way would I have been able to give you that. I fail myself daily, but I am happy to report that I am claiming back the life I had before I was with “him.” I still hate to hear his name. I want you to know that I really miss you. I miss your smile, and I miss your hugs. They were the best. It was the best feeling when I just needed to calm down to feel your arms embrace me. I will try harder to show you that I am a woman who you can be proud of. I really hope that you are doing fine and that this letter does not upset you in any way. I hope to see you soon.  
Xoxo  
-Midori Kyoraku  
P.S.   
Thank you so much for always being there for me when I have never done anything to afford your trust and belief in me. I really am glad that I have you as my dearest friend. Also, make sure to make lots of babies with Hisana, okay that’s the last time. I am pretty sure that is her name at this point, but we need to see more Byakuya babies in the world. 😊

Byakuya smiled at the end of the letter. He could see all of Midori’s expressions in her writing. He rubbed his fingers over her name and the xoxo she left on the page. He knew that their unrequited love was so long ago, but she still held a special place in his heart. He still loved her even though he loved his wife. It was a different love. He was happy with her finding someone else to share her life with. He held her note in his hands for a while. She wanted him to be happy, and he would make sure that happened. He had to express his feelings further to Hisana, and he couldn’t believe that after three times of mentioning her name in the letter that Midori realized she had the right name. He laughed to himself at this revelation before folding the letter up and placing it back into his desk. He would wait for her to visit him.   
“Hopefully in the future I can introduce you to Hisana, and maybe one day, you will get to tell me how my acceptance of our marriage was the best thing I did. I miss you too, Midori, more than you will ever know,” his thoughts were flooded with seeing Midori again.   
He missed her smile most of all. He sat in his chair thinking more about her letter. She also gave him so much comfort in being near him. Her hugs were something he looked forward to as well. He knew that when he was finally able to see her again, he would make sure to embrace her and accept the changes in their lives together.

*****  
Midori entered the 8th division barracks and headed straight for her uncle’s office.  
She opened the door and looked at Shunsui, “Uncle, I am sorry for being a brat a few months ago. I wasn’t really mad. I just didn’t want you to play with my emotions.”   
He smiled at her, and his eyes darted to Jushiro who was waiting patiently for her to finish. Her heart leapt from her chest as she made her way to him. They embraced each other in front of Shunsui and kissed. Shunsui rolled his eyes and looked away.   
When they finished kissing, he looked back at them, “I never thought you were mad, but upset I could hear that when you screamed in the hall. I am just glad you are okay from your training with Captain Zaraki.” She smiled.  
She knew that Captain Unohana would tell him. She had no doubt in that. They were always sending messages to each other about her. It became a normal thing for her. It almost seemed like she was the child of a divorced couple that got along.   
She looked at Jushiro who was rubbing her back, “I have missed you, Shiro.”   
Her calling him that was inappropriate for the location because he couldn’t do anything to her, but it sent electric sparks through his body. He placed his arm around her waist and made sure she understood his feelings with a squeeze. She smiled. Shunsui understood the situation. He rolled his eyes before pushing them to leave his office to express their feelings.   
“I think you guys need some alone time. Go ahead.” He pointed to the door. Jushiro rose from his seat and held his hand out to Midori.   
He looked at Shunsui, “Raincheck?”   
“Of course.”  
Midori and Jushiro went to leave the barracks, but Midori pulled him into her old room.   
He noticed how spoiled she had been when she lived with Shunsui, “He really spoiled you.”   
“Yes, but I don’t want to talk about that. I told you that I missed you, Shiro.”   
He could see her seductive looks staring at him. She grabbed him and pushed him on her bed. They kissed each other feverishly and made love to each other in her old room.  
She fell asleep in his arms as he looked around her room. He noticed that she had a shelf of magazines and all of them were the Seireitei Communication.   
He smiled as he thought about her interest in the magazine he got for his birthday, “You really are a fan.”   
He kissed her head, got out of the bed, and placed his kimono over him. He looked at her magazines and found out that his stories were all bookmarked. His smile continued as he found a really cute keychain on her desk. It was of two fish kissing.   
He ran his fingers over to girl fish, “Midori, are we these kissing fish? I want to be just like this with you, an eternal sign of our love,” he mumbled to himself not loud enough for her to hear.   
He saw the yukata that Midori had worn all those years ago. It still had traces of cherry blossom scent on it. He loved how neat and lived in her room was. He could see who she was in everything in that room. He saw in the corner beside of the bookcase, a flash of silver. He went to it and picked up a bent locket. He pried it open and saw a little girl that looked like Midori. She was in the arms of a woman who looked just like Midori and a man who resembled Shunsui.   
He smiled at it, “I wonder why you are in the floor?” He took the locket and placed it on her desk.   
He took off his kimono and returned to her bed. He began kissing her to wake her a little, and then he made love to her, again. She woke to his entrance into her, and she grasped his arms.   
He leaned down and kissed her, “I love you, Midori Kyoraku. I love all of you.”   
“I love you too, Jushiro Ukitake. I love everything about you.”   
They fell asleep in the bed as the sun began to set. She curled up next to him and could hear his strong heartbeat. She was happy.  
The next day, Midori woke up to Jushiro still sleeping. She pushed his white hair from his face and kissed his cheek.   
“You really do complete me, Shiro,” she thought as she grabbed an old haori that Shunsui bought her many years ago.   
She wrapped it around her and walked out to her balcony. She missed living here with her uncle, but she knew that he would not care about her borrowing her old room for the night.  
She looked down at the pond to see a member of the 8th division. He looked up at her and waved. She smiled and waved back at him.   
Suddenly, Jushiro’s arms were wrapped around her waist, “Good morning, gorgeous. Who are you waving at?”   
“I am waving at one of the division members.”   
“Did you know that sun allows me to see through your haori? It got me in the mood, again.” He kissed her neck.   
“I don’t want you to overdo it.” She placed her ear on his chest. He had a strong heartbeat. “For a guy who is sick often, you really have a strong libido.”   
“It’s only strong because you take such good care of me, Ri.”   
He enveloped her lips with his and led her back to her bed. They made love again before getting dressed and leaving the 8th division barracks. He always knew how to make her feel loved in his embrace and his kisses. She was happy to be with someone like him who truly cared for her with no strings attached. 

*****  
Midori was on a mission as she walked to the 11th division. She wanted to check in with Ikkaku and Yumichika to let them know she was fine, and she wanted to see if Kenny would teach her his technique of creating a shield with spiritual pressure.  
Midori found Yumichika and Ikkaku in the barracks. They were surprised to see her after so long. She smiled at them as she walked up to them.   
“Hey, guys! Have you missed me?”   
Yumichika and Ikkaku looked at each other and in unison, “Of course, we did.”   
They both patted her shoulders. They asked her about her absence for the past week, and she recounted the time in her isolation to recover her body and spiritual pressure. They could not believe that she was made to stay in her room for that long. She just laughed with them about how irrational it was.   
Midori then proceeded to ask them about Kenny’s whereabouts, “Do you know where Captain Zaraki is?”   
“He is probably in the usual spot or on the roof lounging around,” Ikkaku answered.   
“Usual spot? You don’t mean the secluded area with the large trees?”   
“That is exactly where he would be. He seems to have been down since your battle with him. He may have just had a lot on his mind,” Yumichika explained.   
Midori turned to leave, “Thank you, guys. I will see you later.”   
She rushed off before they could say anything, “Wait…She sure is in a hurry. I guess we will have to wait longer to train with her, again.”   
Ikkaku missed training with Midori. He wanted to fight against her and her techniques she displayed in battle with their captain. Him and Yumichika just watched her as she disappeared around the corner of the gate to their barracks.  
Midori walked back to the secluded field where she first met Kenny. She went to the same tree, and there he was. He was wearing a scowl on his face, and Yachiru was chasing after a butterfly. She stopped to watch Yachiru, and the butterfly she was chasing fell on Midori’s hand.   
She held it out to Yachiru, “Here you go.”   
“Huh? Mi-Mi! Kenny, Mi-Mi is here!”   
She ignored the butterfly and ran to Kenny to get him up. He looked groggy and a little irritable. Midori walked over to him and sat down beside of him. He was resisting to wake up. He had not heard about Midori being there.   
“It seems Yachiru that Kenny is neglecting his subordinates, today. We can just leave him be.” Kenny immediately opened his eyes to glare at her.   
“What subordinates am I neglecting?”   
She turned and smiled at him and pointed at herself. He scoffed at her and closed his eyes again. Midori smirked and turned to sit with her legs crossed facing him.   
“I was wondering if you could teach me something, Kenny?” He did not move.   
“I thought I told you, I don’t train.”   
“You may not train but seeing as you seemed to care about me the other day, I figured that if I asked you to teach me how to create a shield with my spiritual pressure that you would oblige. Something didn’t happen after that fight did it?”  
Midori knew that Captain Unohana must have said something to him. She was livid that day, and it seemed since Kenny knew that she would scold him for putting Midori through such a battle. He opened his eyes again and stared at her. Midori still wore a goofy smile on her face that came natural to him.   
“You seem to have changed since the first time I saw you, Midori.”   
“Um…yes, I believe so. I mean Seigi has told me this, and Captain Ukitake has as well.”   
“It shows in how you can sit there with that carefree look on your face. It makes you look like you aren’t serious about anything.”  
She turned her face away, and then in one turn she looked up into his eyes with a serious face that made him think about Captain Unohana, “I am serious. I want to learn how you do that shield, and also, you are the only person I know that has ever done such a technique. It is quite interesting and besides, I have chosen to look up to you as a role model, so you will help me, yes?” She couldn’t be serious for long. In the middle of her statement her face changed to the same goofy smile.   
Kenny rolled his eyes and leaned forward, “Fine. I will, but Captain Unohana cannot know about this. You understand.”   
“Yes, I understand.”  
Midori and Kenny stayed in that secluded place from prying eyes and ears. They sat across from each other in the open portion of the field.   
“Okay, now close your eyes and see your spiritual pressure.”   
“Okay.”   
Midori closed her eyes, and in her mind, she stood in darkness. She walked out into the darkness, and there she saw a ball of purple and orange swirling energy that was being held by glowing green chains.   
She reached forward and heard a familiar voice, it was Seigi, “Midori, are you sure you want to do that?”   
“What will happen if I do?”   
“Let me ask you first, what do you plan to do with that spiritual pressure,” Seigi was curious about why Midori needed the chains off of her spiritual pressure.   
“I plan to use it to create a shield with spiritual pressure around my body for protection in battle, so I do not have to use your skills all the time.”  
Seigi had a sadness appear across his face. It was his solemn vow to protect Midori. If she did not need him, why was he here?   
She noticed the look on his face, “There will be enemies that appear that will need to be dealt with. They will be stronger than me, and you and I know a shield as a precaution will help us be victorious in battle.”   
It was like she said the exact thing that he wanted to hear. He placed her hand on the ball of spiritual pressure and together the chain burnt off in their hands. Seigi got down on one knee with Midori’s hand in his.   
He was vowing to her again, “I will always be there with you to help you fight in battle. Please, use all the spiritual pressure you need in order to obtain your goal.”  
As Midori meditated, Kenny watched her. She was concentrating so hard, and her face was so calm. He then felt it like a ripple of a wave from the ocean washing over him. Midori’s spiritual pressure exploded, and a green aura covered her. He watched on with Yachiru who had jumped on his shoulder. He saw how the green aura turned from a large tree with strong roots and encased her body like a blanket. It collected around her and formed to her body. He saw it in that same instance disappear and reappear around her like his shield does.  
He smiled and wondered about her easy flexibility, “A genius just like I have heard about. To adapt that fast, Midori must know how to manipulate her spiritual pressure, well.”   
Midori opened her eyes and saw Kenny smiling, “Did it work?”   
He turned his head sideways, “You cannot feel it?”   
Midori allowed her senses to heighten, and then she felt it. It felt like a skin over her own body. It was almost like a full body suit being skintight against her.   
She looked up at him, “I finally do. Thank you, Captain!”  
Midori sat there for some time after when Kenny went back to his tree. It was so simple that she did not know why she never thought about it before or was it so simple because of Seigi. There was a lot about Seigi she still did not know, but she wanted to know it all. He was not created by her, but by someone who had abandoned him. Why did his former master do away with him like trash? These thoughts filled her head as she stared at Kenny.  
Her mind switched in the instant that he noticed her staring, “Does he really not hear her calling him?”   
She looked at Yachiru and saw it. The voice from his Zanpakuto was not the sword, but it was coming from her. She cleared her throat. She knew she couldn’t tell Kenny. That was not how things worked with a Zanpakuto.   
“Kenny?”   
He was still staring at her, “What?”   
“You say your Zanpakuto is always in its shikai form. Why is that?” He looked toward the ground to think for a moment.   
He then looked back at her with a nonchalant attitude, “It has always been that way besides, I have the same spiritual pressure as a captain, so what should it matter?”   
Midori got up on her knees, “It should matter a lot, actually. By learning the name of your Zanpakuto and calling it out, you could double your strength if not triple it. You love to fight, so why would you not want to be stronger.”   
She caught his attention about power and fighting, but he knew that he would never hear his Zanpakuto.   
He never had the heart to hear it, and as long as the sword does not disobey his orders, he will never have a reason to change, “I just have no use in those kinds of tactics in battle. Why do you say these things? Do you hear it or something?”   
She gulped down air, “I can hear her calling you.”   
A serious and sad expression appeared on her face. She wanted him to hear her calling. She wanted him to help her because she was in so much pain, and Midori could feel how lonely she was.   
“Well, I don’t hear her or it or whatever you want to call it. I have never in all these years, so I assume I don’t need to.”  
Midori rose from her seat and bowed to Kenny, “I will not bother you about it either, but please be kinder to your sword. It is your lifeline between you and your fighting.”  
She walked away as Kenny began to say something to her. He could feel that she had the same look in her eyes that Captain Unohana had the day that she came to fuss at him for fighting with Midori. She was disappointed in him. He placed his arms behind his head and looked up between the branches of the tree. Yachiru went back to chasing butterflies, again. He did not know what to do. It was not like he could hear his Zanpakuto calling him, or perhaps, it was that he did not want to hear it. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

*****  
Midori was done with her mission, but she still had loads of time to kill since she did not have to be back in the barracks till nighttime. She entered back into the 11th division barracks and hung out with Ikkaku and Yumichika. They could sense something similar to her as their captain but did not ask her. They figured that whatever she wanted with the captain, that she got it. They spoke about many different things including Kenny’s Zanpakuto. It was something that the both of them never understood, either.   
Ikkaku decided to head in for the day because he was feeling bored, and Midori was left alone with Yumichika. He could feel her disappointment from the moment she had come back to the barracks.   
“What is going on with you? You have been upset since you came back.”   
She looked over at him. She could see the concern on his face, but she did not want to talk to him about how much she was disappointed in Kenny. How he was so nonchalant about his Zanpakuto’s name. She turned her head away from Yumichika to stare out in the barracks.   
A few members of the division walked by and bent down to Yumichika, whispering in his ear. It seemed they wanted to know if there was anything going on between him and Midori.  
“As if.”   
They looked at Midori and began flirting with her, “Hey sweetheart, since you and Yumichika don’t have a thing going on why not come back to my room, and I would be happy to show you how a real man would treat you.” Midori laughed at him.   
He got flustered. Yumichika started to say something, but Midori’s face turned serious, and she rose from her seat to face him, “I doubt it seeing as there is only one man here at the moment, and that is Yumichika. Before you begin to assume anything let me tell you something, a woman would never allow a boy such as yourself to take her to bed unless you treat her with some respect, so be off with yourself.”   
Yumichika chuckled to himself as the other members began to fall over themselves. They walked off with their tails between their legs because Midori had left them speechless. She sat back down beside of Yumichika and leaned her head on his shoulder.   
A blush appeared on his face, “So, as if, right. Then why can the subtle touch of my head on your shoulder cause you to blush.”   
She sat back up and laughed. She had left Yumichika speechless, but her smile as she laughed caused his blush to deepen. When she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, she saw him deep in thought.   
“Yumichika, I was only teasing you. I know that those guys were just being jerks. Please, don’t be upset.” He turned to face her.   
His face was serious, “Midori, I can trust you, right. I can tell you anything, and you won’t tell no one.”   
“I would never break your trust in me. Please, if you are holding something in, let me be the one you can confide in. I promise to not tell a soul.”  
She thought he was going to relay his feelings for her, but instead it was about his Zanpakuto.   
“I am a sham, a hack. I am the 5th seat in the 11th division of men who would die by fighting in combat. They all fight with Zanpakuto that have only combat abilities, but yet, here I am. I have to hurt my Zanpakuto in order to fit in and be like them.”   
“I see, but what exactly do you mean by hurting your Zanpakuto?”   
“The name of my Zanpakuto is Ruri’iro Kujaku. He is very picky and has a favorite color, but the thing is when I call upon him he is a Kido type Zanpakuto, and in the 11th division, anyone who uses a Kido type Zanpakuto is considered a coward,” Midori placed a hand over her mouth, “That is why I have to only call my Zanpakuto out by saying Fuji instead of Ruri’iro. In the Fuji state, my Zanpakuto turns into a combat style weapon.”   
She placed her hand on his that was resting on his lap.   
She stared into his face, and he stared back into her, “It’s okay, Yumichika. It is alright for you to be different from everyone. I know that your Zanpakuto would understand if you would explain it to him. He is probably not as complicated as you think he is. Just be confident in your blade and your decisions and everything will be alright.”   
Her words helped him. He could see why men were so enamored by her looks, but if they knew her personality, she would never get any rest from them constantly worrying her with their advances.   
He closed his eyes and placed his free hand on hers, “Thank you, Midori. That helps a lot.”   
She kissed his forehead, “Anytime.”   
It happened so fast he thought it was a dream. His face was still burning red when he looked at her just sitting next to him looking out in the barracks.  
She had a way of healing others when she needed to be healed. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know why over the past year she had changed so much in demeanor from their first meeting. He could see the darkness leaving her eyes every day. It was like she was alive, again.   
“How could it be true that you are a traitor? Did that man really hurt you that bad to make you so unhappy that you wanted to die?” he wondered about her. The rumors did exactly like Midori said, they spread like wildfire.   
She turned back to him, “Do you think I can do that, too? Changing Seigi’s form. I would love to try.”   
Yumichika saw that Midori was turning this thing he did into something positive. A thing that she wanted to do herself to change her fighting style.   
“I could help you, if you want me to?”   
“Please. I will look forward to your instruction.”   
She smiled at him again before she got up to leave. Yumichika stood with her and walked her all the way back to her barracks.   
She turned to him as they got to the gate, “One day Yumichika, I would love to tell you a secret of mine, but until then, will you please allow me to keep yours close to my heart.”   
The blush appeared on his face again, “Sure.”   
She hugged him and walked into her barracks. He watched her enter her room and left. He could still feel her arms as they hugged him. The blush on his face stayed there until he returned to his barracks to turn in for the night. Her words lingered on his mind, waiting for her to return the next day.  
Midori appeared at the 11th division barracks with a new stealth uniform. Someone had sent it to her yesterday, and she found it in her room when she returned from talking with Yumichika. She gathered the guys, and they all went to the 11th division training ground. Last night when she went back to her room, she had a talk with Seigi about changing his shikai into a secondary form. He was not happy that she wanted to, but she explained it to him in a way that he had no choice but agree.   
“Seigi for me to be able to fight better a second form may be the best way to go. I mean you will always be my main Zanpakuto but having a second form will be easier for me when I use too much spiritual pressure. It could also help the outcome of a fight we get into. I promise that if you don’t like it or it hurts you in some way, I will not do it.”   
Her promise to drop it if it hurt him was the reason that he agreed. He knew Midori was not doing it for the sake of power.   
Today, Ikkaku allowed for Yumichika to train Midori. He was serious about her training.   
“Did you ask him about what you wanted to do, today?”   
“Of course. I never do anything without talking with Seigi first. He is my Zanpakuto”   
“Good.”  
Yumichika had Midori call upon her Zanpakuto regularly, and then she had her revert it back.   
He then told her to call him differently than using his regular full name, “Okay. Um…”   
Nothing came to her mind. She was oblivious to what to say.   
Yumichika saw her struggling, “Your Zanpakuto is named Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, so by using a part of the name will help in creating a new transformation. You do call him by the first part of his name Seigi which means resilience, why not try calling him by the last part of his name and see if that will work.” Midori agreed to his advice.   
She concentrated and pulled her Zanpakuto from her hips, hearing a whisper of words enter her mind, like it was calling to her.   
She called out, “Devour and Purge, Seitoshi!”   
Those words caused her Zanpakuto to glow green. As Ikkaku watched them, he noticed something different about Midori’s Zanpakuto. Instead of the normal double war axes she always had, a new weapon appeared before her. It was a large two-handed battle ax. It had golden filigree on it and a golden handprint, but the axe was not the normal white or black color, it was gunmetal gray. It had a green tassel of flair at the bottom of the hilt and the hilt was wrapped in black leather.   
Yumichika could not believe how it just appeared with his suggestion. Midori marveled at its appearance. It was strange, and it weighed considerably more than her two war axes. She did not hear any screaming from the blade and considered that Seigi was happy about his new transformation. She tried to swing it, but she did not have the strength in her arms. It fell to the ground with a loud thump.  
Ikkaku started to laugh very loudly, which caused Midori some embarrassment.   
She stomped over to him and hit him in the head, “Shut up, baldy!”   
“Who are you calling bald, whimpy?”   
“I will show you, whimpy!”   
Yumichika ignored them to inspect Midori’s new ax.   
“She created it flawlessly, but it is too heavy for her. I wonder why? Is this because Seigi no Nai Seitoshi is upset at her?” he pondered to himself about the reasons behind her being unable to wield it efficiently.  
He looked over at Midori who was walking back. Ikkaku was rubbing his head again after she had slapped him three times for mocking her.   
She grabbed the hilt and slung it over her shoulder, but she fell over with it this time.   
Yumichika helped her up, “Midori, I think Seigi is upset with you.”   
“What do you mean?”   
Yumichika and Midori stared at the battle ax, “Normally, a Zanpakuto is weightless to its wielder, but your Zanpakuto is extremely heavy. Perhaps, this is because Seigi is mad about you turning the blade into something new.”   
“Maybe it is, or maybe it is because I need to train with it.”   
Midori grabbed the ax, again and balanced it on her shoulder. She felt how it dug heavily into her shoulder. She flinched but it did not deter her from her goal.   
She asked Ikkaku and Yumichika to train with her, and as she raised her ax up to swing it at them, she tried countless times, but the ax did not make it far before she dropped it or she fell over with it. She then began to flash step with it, but it slowed her down or it would not swing with her. She fluxed her spiritual pressure, but that did not work, either. By the end of the day, she was defeated. Ikkaku and Yumichika left her out on the training field all by herself because she was disappointed in herself and nothing, they said changed her mind.   
She sat and stared at this failed transformation, but she was not about to give up.   
She stood up, “Seigi come out!”   
He appeared before her. They both looked at each other, and they were miserable.   
“Are you in pain? Do you hate it this much to humiliate me like that? If this was something that you did not want, then why did you not tell me?”   
Her questions were like bullets to him. He felt utterly useless and like a failure. He kneeled before her.   
“Please accept my apologies, but I did not want to dissuade you from your goal, my lady. I fear that you will replace me with this atrocity. Tell me what I should do.”   
Midori walked up to him and placed her hand on his head.   
She squatted down, placing her hand on his cheek, “Trust me, I could never replace you, Seigi. I am sorry for thinking I needed more.”   
She hugged him. He hugged her back. He wanted to serve Midori all he could, but it seemed that she always wanted more than he gave her. He thought she was trying to replace him, or maybe she felt like she lacked something in herself, she is trying to fill?   
He hugged her tighter, placing his hand on the back of her head to pull her closer to him, “I will promise to bend my life to your will, Midori. I take this vow again to prove that I am worthy of you being my master.”   
She pulled from him, “You do not need to prove anything to me, Seigi. You have always protected me. Just continue to stay by my side, and I promise that I will return to you the strength, guidance, and love that you have shown me.”   
“I think I am ready to accept this, if you would my lady.”   
He bowed and pointed with his arm the way to the new weapon. Midori reached down, and as if she was lifting a feather, the ax came from the ground and laid to rest on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded to Seigi who disappeared back into her Zanpakuto. She had finally mastered a new form of Seigi no Nai Seitoshi, and she was happy with the results.   
The next day, Midori returned to the training grounds to train with Ikkaku and Yumichika.   
“I believe today will have a different result.”   
She proceeded to have Ikkaku and Yumichika train with her. She summoned her second form of her Zanpakuto, and to the guys’ surprise, the battle ax rested with ease on Midori’s shoulder. She flashed stepped to both of them and swing her ax with ease. It created a green arc as it flew past them. They both smiled at her.   
“You did it!” Ikkaku was happy for Midori being able to control her new weapon, even though, he still thought it was funny what happened yesterday to her.   
Yumichika placed his Zanpakuto back into its sheath, “Thank you, Yumichika. You were right, Seigi had a lot to do with the disaster that was yesterday. I am glad your guidance helped me resolve the issue.”   
She bowed to him as she placed her Zanpakuto back into its sheath. Yumichika was happy that he could help Midori. She had become such a good friend of his, and he hoped she would always be a great friend to him, Ikkaku, Yachiru, and even the captain. He smiled at the girl who he confided everything with.


	15. It Awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Untold Bleach Stories....
> 
> Captain Zaraki finally got his fight with Midori. During their fight, Midori used all 100% of her spiritual pressure, and it caused her Hollow to surface. It was the first time Kenny and the others from the 11th division had seen it or heard about it. Midori used all her spiritual pressure she could to reseal it back in so that she would not hurt her friends. Midori felt even more determined to find someone to train her. She needed to get this Hollow under control.
> 
> And now the last chapter of the Desolation Arc.....Chapter Fifteen: It Awakens....

Five years had passed since Midori learned two new techniques from Yumichika and Kenny. She had continued to hone those abilities, and her time spent with the 11th division comrades had become an even more regular routine for her. Ikkaku was still pestering Midori to fight him like she did Kenny, but she would just ignore him. She did not want that happening, again. She promised herself that the Hollow inside of her would never see the light of day, again. She would keep it at bay, always.   
She had decided a long time ago to go and meet the new 7th division captain, Sajin Komamura. She really wanted to know what he was like. During her first meeting with him, she noticed the horrible helmet that he kept his face covered in. She, also, noticed his enormous size and wondered why he was so big. He talked with Midori and got to know her. He knew that she was someone that a lot of people did not trust because of her past, but he saw through that.   
He eventually confided in Midori about his appearance, mainly because she had pestered him about it. When she saw his true self, the only thing she would think about was touching his ears. He obliged her request, but only because he knew she would pester him. He was a werewolf. He had short brown fur that covered his entire body. He towered over Midori, but it did not make her feel any different toward him. She was thankful for his trust in her.  
She felt that her bond to Komamura would continue to grow from that day forward. Every year after she met him, she would send him a gift of jerky. His favorite. He really enjoyed it. She also got to meet with Tetsuzaemon Iba, his lieutenant. She would ask about his mother, and he would talk to her about how Chikane was doing. When she would send her gifts to Komamura, she would send a pair of sunglasses just for Tetsuzaemon.

*****  
Midori was in the 4th division when she heard the news from members passing by that Captain Kuchiki’s wife, Hisana, had passed. Midori did not waste time. She ran from her room and over to the 6th division. She pushed past some members of the 6th division who was trying to hassle her, and she pushed open the door to the office of the captain. He was sitting there everything was messed up around him. Midori closed the door and reached out to him. She embraced him, and he crumbled into her arms.  
He squeezed her letting out small sobs of pain. She never met Hisana, but she knew that he had done what she wanted him to, and that was love her with all of his heart.   
She patted his head, “Byakuya?”   
He did not move. He did not want Midori to see his miserable face. She pulled his head up, so she could look into his eyes. His gray eyes were red and puffy.   
She wiped the tears from his eyes, “I am here for you.”   
She leaned her forehead against his. There was nothing she could do. She couldn’t bring her back. She couldn’t stop his pain. She knew that all he had heard was condolences from people, but she wanted him to know that she was there for him.   
Byakuya’s mind was so blank all he could hear was his and Midori’s heart beating in perfect rhythm. It caused his eyes to get heavy. He had been up over the past several days trying to figure out how to help Hisana. She had fell ill so suddenly, and there was no time before she passed on. All he could remember was her asking him to take care of her sister, Rukia. He had promised her that he would. He had to. The woman who Midori had told him to give his whole heart to had taken it with her, and all he could feel right now was a sense of duty to respect her last wishes.  
He fell asleep, resting his head on Midori’s thigh. She ran her fingers through his uncombed hair, trying to stop knots from appearing. It soothed him further. The door to his room opened once and when the member checking in on Byakuya saw them together, they quietly excused themselves and left them alone. Midori did not hear anything from anyone for the rest of the day. She sat there letting Byakuya find some kind of comfort in her being there for him.   
Midori had fallen asleep propped against his desk. When she had awoken, she saw that he was no longer there, and his captain’s coat was draped over her like a blanket. She got up and slid the back door open to the deck. She saw him sitting there in the moonlight. She laid his jacket around his shoulders and sat beside of him. She wanted to talk, but there was this awkward aura around him. She did not know if she could encourage herself to give him some words of inspiration like he did her all those years ago.  
He peered over at her without moving his head. He was happy she was there. He reached for her hand that was on the deck between them and held it. Midori looked down seeing his fingers laced in hers.   
His gesture of needing her caused all her words to fall out of her like water, “Byakuya, I know how hard it is to lose someone. I won’t tell you that you will be fine, and I won’t tell you that time will heal your wounds because she will always be there in your heart and your mind. All I can suggest is to cherish every memory you had with her and find something that will keep you moving forward.”   
She was looking at him, and noticed he turned his head to see her better. Her face was illuminated by the glow of the moon, and her eyes looked at him with sadness, but also sympathy. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he laid his on top of hers. He knew her words had a lot of truth in them. Midori had lost a lot over the years he had known her. The passing of his grandfather and father were not as hard as losing Hisana. It made him think back to when he realized he had lost Midori to Kisuke. He felt a lonely void inside of him, and even though, his first love was sitting beside of him, he could feel that void deepening.   
“I wish I could be magic and erase your pain, Byakuya.”   
Her words stuck in his mind and heart. Midori always placed others before herself, and the fact she wished she was a way to erase his pain was something that caused a smile to pop up on his face. Midori could feel it through her scalp. She had said something that was completely ridiculous to make him smile, and it kind of worked. She placed her other hand on top of the one he had laced in her left fingers and squeezed it. She knew that time would pass, and his mind would heal, but his heart would never heal because his other half was gone.  
When the sun began to hit the roofs of the 6th division, Midori rose from her spot next to Byakuya. She dusted off the back of her pants and got back up on the deck. Byakuya grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. He looked up at her. There was desperation in his face. The look she gave him questioned his actions.  
“Thank you for being here for me, Midori. I don’t know where I would be if I had not heard your words.” She turned to him and placed her hand on his head.   
She leaned down and kissed the side of his head, “I will always be here for you. I just hope that they helped you in some way.”   
He nodded his head in agreement and watched her as she crossed through his office and exited through the office door. His heart was broken, but somehow her being there helped his heart begin to mend. He didn’t know if it was her words or just her being there, but something about their time together made his heart feel lighter.

*****  
Midori was walking back to the 4th division when a member of the 11th division came rushing toward her, “Midori Kyoraku, you have been summoned by Captain Zaraki.”   
She did not hesitate but followed the member to Kenny’s office. There the member opened the door, and everyone was staring at her. She noticed that there was Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kenny and Yachiru waiting for her.   
“Captain Zaraki, I have brought Midori Kyoraku as requested.”   
“Good!” They waited till the squad member left.   
Kenny then rose from his chair and Yachiru jumped on his back, “Let’s get going, then.”   
“Wait? What is going on?” Midori was confused.   
“Oh, right. Midori, we have been given a mission to search around the 80th District of the North Rukon. This was where Captain Zaraki first came from,” Yumichika explained. Kenny did not look back at them but kept walking.   
Midori did not have anything with her, “Captain Zaraki, I am sorry, but I did not come prepared. May I meet you all at the gate to the North Rukon?”   
“Go.”   
Midori flashed stepped off toward the 4th division. She grabbed her Zanpakuto, medical device and ointments that she hid in a pouch on her sash. She stopped by Captain Unohana’s office to tell her, but she had already known.   
“Please be safe, Midori.”   
Midori shook her head, and in a few flash steps, she was at the gate to the North Rukon Districts. Kenny opened the gate when he saw her and all five of them set off toward the 80th district.   
Midori had not been in the North Rukon Districts. She noticed that a lot of things seemed to change the farther out they went. Things began to look dire and not well taken care of. She pushed on with the group until they entered the 80th district known as Zaraki. She started noticing that a lot of people around her had the same last name as the districts. Two people were here in front of her, Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi. She wondered if they were coincidental, but then again, nothing seemed to be just by chance with those two.   
The reasons for a mission in the 80th district was because there were some rumors going around about a rogue group that was terrifying the residents of the district, and they were spouting some dangerous nonsense about gathering souls to get power to defeat the Soul Reapers.   
Midori looked around as the residents began to hide in their homes. It seemed that Soul Reapers were not welcomed in districts that were on the outside of the Rukon Districts. She felt bad about how they were causing people fear as they walked down the street. When they reached the outskirts where many said the group would be hulled up, Kenny decided that they all should split up to look for them. He sent Yachiru with Midori to the left of the main path, Ikkaku and Yumichika were sent to right of the main path, and Kenny decided to go alone down the middle. Midori felt weird having Yachiru with her. It was not that she did not believe that Yachiru could take care of herself, but she knew the bond between her and Kenny, and did not want to separate them. They walked away from the guys on their path.   
The forest was quiet, and it gave Midori the creeps. It was like a thick darkness had crept in and encircled them. Suddenly, five men surrounded them. They all had outfits on that looked similar to a Soul Reaper’s. Midori placed her hand on her Zanpakuto, and Yachiru was already charging at them. They began to fight against Yachiru, but Midori did not feel right about the situation.   
“What is going on?” Midori thoughts were interrupted by two of the guys running toward her with swords. She flashed stepped behind both of them and knocked them unconscious.  
She then looked at Yachiru who was still fighting the other three guys. Midori flashed stepped behind each one of them and knocked them out.   
Yachiru was not happy about this, “Why did you do that?”   
“Yachiru there is something not right here. I will stay here and examine these guys. You go and get Kenny.” Yachiru saw the look in Midori’s eyes, and without a word, she disappeared.   
Midori walked up to the guy on the ground and checked his pulse. He was fine. Midori pulled her medical device out and scanned him. The device beeped three times, and then it showed that there was something inside of this guy. It was black. She could not make out what it was exactly, but she scanned the other four guys, and they were all the same. She could not understand what was going on here.   
“I wonder if the others have come across the same thing?”   
Suddenly, a laugh came from the shadows of the trees. Midori turned to see Sosuke Aizen standing there with Gin Ichimaru. He had a smile on his face. She knew her years of him not being around was too good to be true. He flashed stepped closer to Midori and grasped her hand. She pulled away, but she couldn’t get herself free.   
“My sweet little girl.” His words were like venom. He pulled her closer to him and smelled her hair. “You are very sweet, today. I have come to give you another chance. Be mine and join me.”   
Midori punched him in the stomach which caused him to cough and loosen his grip on her. She jumped away from him.   
“Why would I ever accept a deal like that with the likes of you?”   
Aizen stood back up and questioned her, “I can assume that you still have what is mine, then? The Hogyoku that you took the last time we were together.” His words made her feel disgusting. It was like there was an undertone in his voice.   
Yachiru reached Kenny and told him that Midori needed him. He was just knocking out a group of guys with his fists. He nodded, and they both ran off toward Midori. Ikkaku and Yumichika finished with their bunch of guys and went walking off toward Kenny. When they found him gone, they continued in the same direction to find Midori. It was even strange to them that the guys they all fought were acting strange and without a purpose. They had to reach the others as soon as possible.  
Midori placed her hand on her Zanpakuto and pulled it out of its sheath. She had been training for this moment. The moment she would kill Sosuke Aizen and stop him from hurting anyone else. She lunged toward him and Gin got in the way. His Zanpakuto clashes with hers.   
“Get out of my way, Gin Ichimaru!”   
“I don’t think this is wise of you to do.” He smirked at her and pushed her away.   
Midori pushed out her spiritual pressure, “Protect and Make Bleed, Seigi no Nai Seitoshi!”   
Her axes appeared and with a flash step, she kicked Gin out of the way. She lunged toward Aizen who used Kido to protect himself.   
“Coward! Fight me, Aizen!”  
His face produced a look of sympathy that made Midori angrier. She used consecutive slashes at his shield until it began to crack. It surprised her and, in that moment, she felt his hand around her neck.   
He laughed at her, “How I wish we didn’t have to fight, Midori. You are only going to make this harder on yourself. Give in and join me.”   
“I will never join you. A man who would use these innocent people to hurt others. What do you want with them, anyway?”   
“You’re a smart girl, Midori. You know exactly why I am using them. Just think about it. What do I want?”   
He got closer to her face and pushed his lips on hers. She cringed up her face.   
Her mind then exploded with information, “Aizen is still collecting souls for the Hogyoku that he doesn’t have, anymore. Why?”   
When they parted, he smiled as he placed his empty hand on top of the seal on her left arm. She could feel it burning underneath.   
“I see we have some people who are going to break up our party. It’s too bad. I will have you, Midori, or I will use you to get closer to my goal.” A black aura appeared around her seal, and she could feel it in one instance, the seal was breaking. “Let’s see how you get out of this one.”   
Aizen and Gin disappeared as Midori tried to summon enough spiritual pressure to reseal the seal. It was like a darkness flooded into her mind, and then she pushed out a spiritual pressure that was dark and evil. The spiritual pressure hit Kenny and Yachiru, and they picked up the pace to get to Midori.  
When they arrived at the trees where Yachiru left Midori, they saw her hunched over on the ground holding her seal. A large black mass of energy was encircling her as her skin began to turn white. Her hair broke free from her hair band and her hands up to her forearms were black while the rest was white. Her feet broken free of her sandals and began to resemble her hands with talons gripping the ground. Midori covered her face as she could feel it burning. A crackling scream came from her as she looked to the sky. Her mind was becoming cloudy. It was like she was standing in the own mind, watching the outside world without being able to do anything.   
Her body rose. She could sense the presence of others and faced Kenny and Yachiru who were staring at her. Her face had changed. She had large blacked out spaces around her eyes and teeth appeared outside of her mouth. They were as wide as her jawline. Her body had changed almost resembling bones. When the Hollow focused on Kenny and Yachiru, it let out a crackling scream that sent waves of energy at them. Yachiru held onto Kenny’s shoulder. Kenny stood his ground.  
He had finally seen Midori’s complete Hollow form, and it caused his body to tremble. Whether it was from fear or anticipation for a fight, no one knew because Hollowfied Midori lunged forward with her claws and swiped at Kenny, but he jumped back, knocking Yachiru off of him.   
“Kenny, we cannot hurt Mi-Mi!” He knew that, but what could he do, she was not Midori, anymore.   
“Come on, girl. Get back your senses. I don’t want to kill you.” He held his Zanpakuto out at her, but only used it for defense.  
Yachiru turned to get Ikkaku and Yumichika, but there they were standing beside of her. They did not know who Kenny was fighting, but they knew it was an advanced Hollow.   
“It’s Mi-Mi.” They both were surprised at Yachiru’s words.   
“How?” Ikkaku asked.   
“Mi-Mi wanted me to go and get Kenny because she felt something was not right. When we got back here, she was transforming into that Hollow. Make sure to watch your ears, her screams can cause damage.”   
Just as Yachiru said this, the Hollowfied Midori let out another wave of screams at Kenny. It caused his ears to bleed as it pushed down on the others.   
She lunged at him again, he could see the blood lust in her eyes.   
A voice came from it, “You’re going to die!”   
Kenny dodged the Hollow swiping at him, but it caught him in the side. It’s claws dug deep into him and then sent him flying toward Ikkaku. He transformed his Zanpakuto and came after the Hollow. Hollowfied Midori shrilled out a wave of screams at him, and they pushed into him, but Ikkaku covered his ears. The eyes of the Hollowfied Midori worried him.   
“How much of Midori is still left in there?” Ikkaku wondered.   
Kenny grabbed his side and tried to get to his feet, but his side was stinging.   
He looked down to see bubbling green goo pouring out of his injury, “Poison?”  
“We cannot kill her! Midori is still in there!”   
His words hit Ikkaku who hesitated to swing his staff. The Hollowfied Midori swatted him across the forest. She crouched down staring at where Kenny and the others were. It was like a beast appeared inside of her. It began to frighten Yachiru. They could not tell if Midori was still in there or not because the only thing they could sense was its need to kill.  
Hollowfied Midori ignored them and jumped up into a tree. She could sense Aizen. She wanted him dead. She rushed through the woods until she caught Gin and threw him through the trees catching Aizen’s attention.   
“My turn to play with you!”   
The sound of her voice caused the hairs on his body to stick up like electricity was shooting through him. She swung at him, and he dodged it. She chased him all over the forest until they had made their way back to where Kenny and the others were.   
She stood in front of Aizen and cracked her neck, “I love to play with my prey, and her hatred for you makes it even sweeter for me!”   
She pushed out another wave of screams that caused Aizen’s ears to start to bleed. He covered his ears and stared at her mesmerized by her appearance. She turned her head sideways and lunged at him, but Gin called forth his shikai and caught her in the side. The burning from his blade caused her to turn sharply and hit him, sending him through a tree. She turned her attacks at Gin. She walked toward him as blood ran down her side. Aizen took the time to flash step away. She did not bother with him. Gin was laying on the ground, and she wanted him to hurt.   
“You’re dead!”   
Inside of Midori’s mind, Seigi was trying to wake Midori. The sudden onset of the Hollow inside of her caused her to fall unconscious.   
“Midori! You have to wake up! Please!” he shook her, but she did not budge, “If you don’t get up now, your friends are going to die! Listen to me and wake up!”   
He slapped her face. She did not move. He leaned toward her face and noticed that blood was coming out the side of her mouth. He did not know what to do. He then noticed her skin was turning black.   
“Her soul was being taken over by the Hollow.”   
Seigi knew that he needed to give her his spiritual energy to help her fight off the Hollow. He pulled her body to his. He closed his eyes to transfer the spiritual pressure to her, but nothing happened. He then kissed her, and his body began to glow as his spiritual energy was being transferred into her.   
Hollowfied Midori got within inches of Gin before she fell to the ground grabbing at her head. She screamed out toward the sky causing an ear-piercing scream to fill the forest. Her body began to glow green as the Hollow began to recede. Her skin began to turn back to normal, and the Hollow’s face began to fall off like a mask and crumble away as she changed back into Midori. Gin took the time to flash step away before Midori completely transformed back.   
The green glow got brighter. Yumichika and Ikkaku looked on as Hollowfied Midori changed back. She sat on the ground with blood on her hands and splatter on her face. Her eyes had already changed from golden slits to her normal violet eyes before she got up walking to Kenny.   
Yachiru stood in her way, “Don’t hurt, Kenny!”   
Midori ignored Yachiru and went to him, moving his hand from his side. She grabbed the ointment from her uniform and applied it to him before beginning Kaido. The places on his body disappeared, and the poison was cured. She walked away from them, going deeper into the forest. They all watched her.   
Yumichika went to walk toward her, “Don’t. She is in a bad place, right now.” They all waited with Kenny.  
Midori began to cry as she walked. She had transformed and hurt people. Aizen had gotten his way. She could see the fight play over in her head. She remembered what happened when the Hollow came out, and then she remembered waking up in Seigi’s arms. He was almost depleted of his spiritual energy. It was like she was paralyzed by the Hollow that held her captive in her mind. She was out cold, but it was like watching someone else control her body as the Hollow took control.  
She remembered the Hollow track Aizen and force him back to where Kenny and the others were.   
“Was she trying to show Kenny the deception of Aizen?” she questioned the Hollow’s motive.  
Midori used her Kaido to heal the wound inflicted on her side by Gin. It still pained her. It was then that Midori could hear footsteps behind her. Kenny and the others had decided to come and find her. They were not upset with her, but fear took over her mind.   
She could only think of one thing, “Please. If you are thinking about taking me to Commander Yamamoto, please, just kill me. I cannot go back to that place. Please.” Her tears caused her words to be mumbled.   
They all looked at her confused. She had not told any of them about her time in the underground prison. She had not told them about her connections with Aizen.   
Kenny looked down at her, “You cannot help what happened. Let’s go back.”   
“Wait a minute, Captain Zaraki,” Ikkaku called out, “I think we all need to figure out why Captain Aizen was here with his lieutenant, and why Midori suddenly changed into a Hollow.”   
Kenny could care less. He knew it was something to do with Midori. He peered sideways at her. Midori had answers, but would they believe her. It seemed not many did when she spoke about Aizen. She looked down at the ground.   
“Go ahead, Midori. No matter what you say, we will believe you.”  
She looked up at Kenny who was now staring at her intensely. She cleared her throat, which was hoarse from the Hollow screaming.   
“The Hollowfication Incident from ten years ago was because of Sosuke Aizen. He was the one doing Hollowfication experiments on people. He framed Kisuke Urahara. He has been coming after me ever since. I thought for so long when I had not seen him that he had stopped coming after me, but it seems I was just being drawn into a false sense of safety,” she coughed, “He came out here and used the people of the 80th district to lure me here. He wanted to see my Hollow form in action, and he wanted to make sure that if I did not join him that I would be sentenced to death for killing you all.” She stopped for a moment to let it all sink in for them.   
Midori hugged herself. She did not feel safe at all. Kenny had heard about Midori from Captain Unohana. He had heard about her days in the underground prison, and how she had taken the blame for something a man she loved had done. He did not know the complete truth of the matter, and in some instances before he did not care, but after Midori had gained his respect during their battle, he considered her important to him.   
He placed his hand on her head, “Aizen will get what is coming to him, just give it enough time. We will keep our eyes on him in the meantime.”  
Kenny hated this side of Midori. He hated it the first day he met her, but this time he could see why she held so much inside of her. It was because if she unleashed her pain on the people who had hurt her, they would see the monster she hid inside of her figuratively and literally.   
Yumichika squatted down to look at Midori. He reached out to her, but she pulled back from him. The blood on her face and hands were now dried and caked on her. She hated seeing Kenny’s blood on her.   
“Midori, if you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to, but what did you mean about ‘that place’?” Yumichika asked her.   
Midori could not look at him. It was a terrible part of her life, but she trusted them. They were like her family.   
She finally looked up into Yumichika’s eyes, “I was talking about the underground prison below the 1st division.”   
Yumichika was surprised at her saying that and so was Ikkaku. They had never imagined that Midori had been in prison before. He reached for her, and she welcomed his touch.   
She grabbed his hand and placed it on her face while tears fell from her eyes, “I am so sorry, Midori.”   
At that time, Kenny had gotten tired of waiting. He reached down and picked Midori up into his arms.   
“Let’s go. I am tired of being here.”   
Midori did not fuss. Her body and mind were weak, and she did not know how to make the trip back to the Seireitei. She was glad that Kenny made the decision for her.

*****  
Gin made his way back to Aizen. He had blood coming down his face from where he went through the tree.   
“Well, you made it.”   
Aizen’s voice caused a rush of emotions to go through Gin. His own impulse was to kill him right then and there, but he was not strong enough, yet.   
He wiped his head so the blood would not get in his eye, “What do we do now?”   
“Was she still a Hollow when you left her?”   
“No, she was turning back.”   
“I see.”   
Aizen was quiet the rest of the way back to the Seireitei. His mind raced with how much of his plan had been exposed by being drawn back to the others that were with Midori, “They saw me. They will get suspicious, but I am sure they will not make a fuss about it besides who will trust their word, especially the word of a traitor.”   
A crooked smiled crept on his face. He was pleased with himself, but he was far from pleased with Gin. He had let Midori catch him off guard. It would have put a kink in his plans if Gin were to have died in that forest.   
“Midori, I will let you go for now. That power of yours is still growing, I cannot wait to see you at your peak,” he smirked at his eager thoughts to see her become even more powerful because of his experiment.

*****  
Kenny dropped Midori off at the 4th division before heading back to the 11th division. There were a lot of things that weighed on his mind. He wanted to help Midori, but there was nothing he could personally do to help her. He needed to figure out who could help her.   
“She will eventually be swallowed by that thing if she doesn’t get it under control,” he pondered.   
He went to his office and left Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru outside. He sat deep in thought, and then he remembered a man he had met many years ago. He was well versed in fighting, and perhaps, he could help her. When Kenny had met him, he was young, and this man had said he had lived for over 500 years at that time. It seemed that perhaps this man may have knowledge that would help her.   
He rushed from his office and hurried to the 1st division. He knocked heavily on the gate, and it opened. He rushed in and stood in the hall where the captains met.   
Commander Yamamoto walked in, “What is troubling you, Kenpachi Zaraki?”   
“I have the name of a man who can help Midori Kyoraku. I just need your permission to let her go and train with him.”   
“Has something happened with Midori that has prompted you to suggest such a thing?”   
Kenny paused for a moment. He remembered Midori’s words, “If you are thinking of take me to Commander Yamamoto, please just kill me.”   
Her words echoed in his ears, but he trusted Commander Yamamoto, “There was an incident in the 80th District of the North Rukon involving Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru.”   
“Is there anyone else who knows about this other than the ones you took with you?”   
“No, but I did not come to tell you about Midori transforming. I don’t want that girl back in the underground prison when she had no control over turning into that Hollow. I believe that it was Sosuke Aizen who caused her to turn.”   
Commander Yamamoto raised his eyebrow to look at Kenny. He noticed that Kenny was serious, and he was angry.   
“Who are you suggesting can help her? I have looked and thought of so many for a long time now and none have come to my mind.”   
“There is a man named Danr. He trained me a little when I was younger. He is said to be over 500 years old. If anyone can help her, it is him.”   
“But this Danr you speak of has not been in the Soul Society for a long time. Do you expect her to travel through portals to get to him?” Kenny thought about it for a while. He did not know how to get to him.   
Commander Yamamoto was also thinking of a way. He had heard about a man named Danr that had went missing in the past hundred years. He had not shown his face to many, but his spiritual pressure just vanished one day. The only explanation that Commander Yamamoto could think of was that he had opened a portal to another world and was there, now.   
He remembered that hell butterflies could transcend portals and that would possible be a way to find him. He called for a hell butterfly and it appeared. He called Danr’s name and told him of Midori and her dilemma. The hell butterfly disappeared and reappeared shortly after bringing with it a large blue orb of magic. When Commander Yamamoto reached for it, it began to transform into a large tonged key made of bone.   
It had one round end that had embedded into it a gem of spiritual energy, “A lykill?”   
It was something that Commander Yamamoto had seen many years ago as he was creating the Seireitei. He had only seen it in books, but now he was seeing it in person.   
Suddenly, the hell butterfly began to emit a deep gruffy voice, “Send the girl to me. I will train her. Use the lykill to swipe the air in front of you and send her here with it.” The voice disappeared.   
Kenny looked at Commander Yamamoto. They did not know what in the world had just happened, but apparently Commander Yamamoto’s idea to use a hell butterfly was correct. Commander Yamamoto called for a 1st division member, “Send word to Midori Kyoraku to come her immediately! She must come alone.”   
“Yes, Commander!”  
The division member rushed off toward the 4th division. Midori was in her room. Her body was still weak from her transformation, and she had finally scrubbed off the blood from the fight. Her hand and her face had red splotches on them.   
She heard a very rushed knock on her door and called to it, “Come in.”   
The 1st division member stood at attention while Midori stood up from the basin of bloody water.   
“Midori Kyoraku, you have been summoned to the 1st division. Commander Yamamoto has asked that you come, immediately.” Midori’s heart stopped.   
“It’s happening again,” she thought.   
She dropped to her knees, the division member was shocked and stepped toward her but remained calm. She could feel the coldness of that cell embrace her again.   
“Did Kenny tell Commander Yamamoto? Am I going to be imprisoned again?” her mind raced with everything that could possible warrant her summon to the 1st division. Tears fell from her eyes as her body leaked her spiritual energy.   
Captain Unohana noticed the change in Midori’s spiritual pressure and ran from her office to Midori’s room.   
On the way, she saw Midori in a hunched over manner walking with a member of the 1st division, “Midori!” She turned around to see Captain Unohana. She ran toward her and grabbed her around the waist. “What is going on, division member?”   
“Midori Kyoraku has been summoned to Commander Yamamoto’s office, immediately.”   
“Why?” Midori was trembling. Captain Unohana knew that she was scared. “I will go with you, Midori.”   
“Unfortunately, 4th division Captain Unohana, Commander Yamamoto said that Midori must come alone.”   
Midori looked up at Captain Unohana. She had never seen a face like Midori’s. Misery, despair, and utter fear made up her weary face.   
Captain Unohana placed a hand on her face to calm her.   
Midori’s eyes came into focus as she looked at her, “Everything will be alright, Midori. Commander Yamamoto trusts you,” she patted her head and turned her around, “Go ahead and come back, quickly.”   
Midori started walking with the 1st division member. Her aura was dreadful and everyone they passed stopped and stared, “Miss Kyoraku, if you could, would you please stop leaking that kind of spiritual pressure? You are drawing attention to yourself.”   
She looked over at him, “Oh, okay.”   
It only made it worse. The depression that she felt when she was in that prison was coming back to her. She had let Aizen win, again. She was going to be forever confined in that hell of a prison.  
When the door to Commander Yamamoto’s office opened. Kenny and Commander Yamamoto were surprised to see Midori in such a horrible state. Kenny stepped forward as the 1st division member bowed to Commander Yamamoto and was dismissed.   
“Midori? Are you…”?   
She looked up at him. Her eyes bore holes into his. He could feel a void appearing in her that he had never seen.   
“Is she that scared to be here?” Kenny asked himself.  
Commander Yamamoto spoke, “Midori, my child there is nothing to fear. You will not be going to that place.” She fell to the ground and tears began to fall like a waterfall. She was relieved that her assumptions were the only thing that plagued her mind, “But you will be leaving here. We have found someone to train you. So, please get up and clean your face.”   
She rose from her position and used the sleeve of her Soul Reaper uniform to wipe her face, “I don’t understand.”   
Her words were almost silent. Kenny watched her out of the corner of his eye. He did not know what to make of Midori. Her spiritual pressure disappeared when Commander Yamamoto had told her she would not be going to that place, “What happened in that place that broke you?” he pondered.  
Commander Yamamoto brought forth the lykill.   
“I will give you enough time to get things in order. This lykill will send you to the place where you will receive training from a man named Danr. He will help you control the Hollow from within you. You will be gone for ten years. There will be limited communication between you and anyone in the Soul Society, so I will give you three days to spend the time you need with people who are important to you and to get your things in order to make the trip. This will be a one-way trip. Danr will make sure you get back, safely.”   
His words soaked into Midori’s mind. She would be gone for ten years. That was a long time to be away from the people she loved, but if it meant she would be able to control the Hollow inside of her, and Aizen could not use it against her. The misery she once felt was replaced with happiness and anxiety.   
“How is Jushiro, Shunsui, and Captain Unohana going to take this? What about Ikkaku, Yumichika, Yachiru, and Byakuya?” she wondered in silence about the people she would leave behind.   
There were so many people she had to tell, but who would she choose to spend time with. Her thoughts were interrupted by Commander Yamamoto dismissing her. He did not give her a choice. He ordered her to go train with Danr.  
Midori and Kenny walked together out of the 1st division, “I am sorry, Midori, for going to Commander Yamamoto, but I had to help you.”   
“It’s okay, Kenny. I appreciate you worrying about me. I guess I owe you even more now.” She turned to smile at him.   
He was glad that she was feeling better, but his mind still wondered about her time in the Central Underground Prison. Maybe one day, she would find a way to tell him, or he would find a way to ask her, but today was not such a day. He left her at the 4th division, waving to her as he walked off.   
She entered the barracks to Captain Unohana embracing her, “I told you everything was going to be alright.”   
She was just like a mother worrying about a daughter. Midori smiled and embraced her back.   
Captain Unohana followed Midori to her room, “What was so urgent that you had to go see Commander Yamamoto?”   
“He has found someone I can train with.”   
“That is a good thing, right. I guess it will be your new routine from now on.”   
“No, Retsu, you don’t understand. I’m leaving.”   
“Leaving?”   
She looked at Midori’s expression. It was such a confused expression. She couldn’t tell if Midori was happy, sad, wanted to laugh or cry, but then she saw the tears fall.   
“I will be gone for ten years, so I won’t get to see you.”   
Captain Unohana began to straighten some already straightened papers on Midori’s desk. She could feel her own feelings swimming in her head. It would feel weird to not have Midori around, “But, she will come back, right?” she wondered to herself.  
Midori walked over to her and hugged her, “Retsu, I will leave in three days. I will miss you terribly. You have been a rock for me for so long. Without you I don’t know what I would do. You are like a mother to me. I am so blessed to have you next to me every day you have been. Thank you.” Captain Unohana could not stop the tears falling down her face.   
She hugged Midori back, patting her head, “Midori, you have been like a daughter to me. Do your training and come back with that same smile on your face.”   
Captain Unohana excused herself after that. Midori could feel that she was not taking this well. She walked out on her balcony thinking of all the people she had to tell and spend time with.   
She knew that Byakuya was still hurting from his wife’s death. She would feel horrible telling him more bad news. She knew that Ikkaku and Yumichika would be alright with her decision. She thought about her uncle. Shunsui was like her father. He had been for so many years.   
“He will be alright, right?” She thought about Lisa. She hadn’t thought about her in so long, “What would Lisa have said?”   
Her thoughts did not tell her anything about Lisa, after that, but they found themselves reminding Midori of someone else she needed to tell, Jushiro.  
He had been the one who helped her love, again. She could feel her heart-breaking thinking about leaving him. She looked up at the sky as the wind blew the leaves on the nearby tree. It was just turning dusk. She had really fallen in love with him over the past ten years. She had given him all of her. Her heart that she thought was gone with Kisuke was still there inside of her all along. She touched her heart and closed her eyes.   
She thought of Kisuke. She did not hate him. She did not resent him, but she did feel that if he was still out there that he probably had moved on, too.   
“Who would wait for someone that long?”   
That thought had her mind in turmoil. If Kisuke had forgotten her in ten years, Jushiro would also forget her in ten years. She slid down onto the floor of the balcony. She placed her left hand on the floor in a hunched over state and covered her mouth with her others. Tears fell onto the floor and disappeared into dark circles.   
She had to stop herself from saying it, but it just came out, “He will forget me.”

*****  
Midori did not sleep well that night. She woke the next morning and made her way to the 11th division. She decided to spend the day with Ikkaku and Yumichika. She tried to hide her fears of losing Jushiro behind a fake smile.   
“Hey guys.”   
They looked at her, “Midori? Are you doing okay?” Yumichika was the first to ask her. He was worried about her since what had happened yesterday.   
“Captain Zaraki returned yesterday after rushing off and didn’t say another word. Do you know what happened?” Ikkaku questioned her.   
“Well, I am here to spend the day with you guys, so what do you want to do?” She was avoiding telling them yet.   
“Spend the day? Midori are you not going to answer his question?”   
“I would rather not. I just want a fun filled day with you two, okay.”   
They were worried about it all, but they obliged. They spent the day reminiscing about training and watching other members of the 11th division train. Midori tried the best she could to hide her sadness because she was leaving them. It wasn’t forever, but it would feel that way.   
When dusk settled on the grounds, Midori posed them a question, “If someone was not around for ten years, would you two forget them?”   
Ikkaku dropped his cup of sake, and Yumichika raised his eyebrow while taking a sip of his. They could see how nervous Midori was with talking about this.   
Ikkaku started, “Forgetting someone after ten years of not seeing them is not uncommon, but if that person has left an impression on them, it would not be so easily something they could forget.”   
Midori wanted to take his answer as it was, but she had to know if she had left an impression on them, “Have I…left an impression on you?”   
Yumichika did not hesitate, “Of course, you have, but Midori, you aren’t going anywhere.” He could see her look away fast. A sadness was on her face, “Are you?” Yumichika grabbed her by the shoulders.   
“I am.” She looked at him with that fake smile. It burnt into him as he fell back on his backside. Ikkaku did not know what to say, so Midori continued, “Yesterday, Kenny went to talk to Commander Yamamoto, and then I was summoned to his office in the 1st division. I was ordered to leave for ten years to train myself, so that I could control the Hollow inside of me. I will miss you both, terribly.” She was still smiling.   
Ikkaku was not happy, “You are so dumb.” He stood up. She looked up at him, the smile was gone from her face. “It is okay for you to cry when you want to so badly. We know that it is hard on you to leave people. Midori, we know more about you than you think we do, so stop sitting there acting like you aren’t hurting inside.”   
He looked away from her. Midori was happy at what he said, but the tears began to fall. Yumichika watched as Midori stood and hugged Ikkaku.   
“Thank you for being my friend, Ikkaku.”   
Yumichika felt left out. He stood and hugged both of them. Ikkaku did not know what to do, but just rolled his eyes and let them do it.   
“We will miss you, Midori, but you will be back,” Ikkaku finished.   
“We won’t forget you. Any man is a fool to forget you,” Yumichika reassured her.  
Midori left Yumichika and Ikkaku sitting in the training grounds. They sat in silence. Ikkaku was rubbing his forehead around his eyes, and Yumichika was hiding his face with his hair.   
“We are going to miss her, Ikkaku, but I think Captain knew what he was doing when he went to see Commander Yamamoto.”   
“Of course, he did, but she didn’t have to act so dumb all day. She didn’t even think we would remember her. It just sucks.”   
Yumichika peered at him and noted a stream of tears fall down his right cheek. He rubbed his eyes to see better, but it was too blurred.   
“There seems to be more things we have to learn about her, I guess.” 

*****  
The next day, Midori paid Shunsui a visit. He was sitting at his desk. He had not heard from anyone about her leaving.   
She walked in and sat behind him placing her back against his, “Feeling anxious, kiddo?”   
She did not say anything. She just sat there taking in the smell of sake and linen. He was someone that would tell her to go. He would actually be like Commander Yamamoto and order her to go because it would benefit her. She sometimes hated the fact that he was too much like a father.   
She closed her eyes and waited while she collected her emotions. He just went back to looking at documents knowing that she was just wanting to be near him. His mind began to think about the first time she used his back to seek some kind of comfort. She was only eight years old. She had been bullied by a few boys from the Academy. He was working at his desk while she ran in with tears in her eyes. She did not want him to see her face and worry, so she hid herself behind him. He smiled at remembering how naïve she thought he was.   
He was worried about her even when she placed that fake smile on her face. It was true that Shunsui had become a doting uncle, but he would have never imagined that he would take on the characteristics of a father.   
“Okay, kiddo. What has got you upset, today?”   
“Uncle Shunsui?”   
“Yea.”   
He looked around his shoulder to see her, “Do you want to do something fun, today? Just the two of us.” He raised his eyebrow.   
“I’m sure we can. Is there a special occasion?”   
She couldn’t think about this time being special. She just wanted to do something with him to spend time with him, “No, I just want to spend time with you.”   
He smiled and nudge her, “Come on, tell me the truth. You know you cannot hide anything from me.”   
She couldn’t tell him, not yet. It would ruin the day. She retreated from his back to stand beside of him.   
She held out her hand to him, “Let’s go drinking.”   
It was the first time she had ever agreed to drink with him. She always hated him drinking, which caused him to pause. He knew something was going on. He took her hand and got up from his seat. They went out of the 8th division to drink together.  
He watched Midori as she sat across him. She was taking sips of her sake as he stared at her. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye.   
She turned toward him and smiled, “So, how has things been going in the 8th division?”   
“Good, I suppose.”   
His answers to her questions were short and to the point. That was something that bothered him because he was normally the one you had to walk away from when he started talking, or you would be caught all day in his ramblings. She knew he had a feeling about what she was doing, but she continued trying to enjoy the day.   
She pulled out of her uniform a pack of cards. She shuffled them and dealt him ten cards, “Rummy?”   
He laughed at her and picked up the cards, “So, are you going to tell me the truth, or are we going to let this carry on?”   
“Carry on. It’s your turn, remember you have to get two sets of three.”   
He pulled a card from the deck and looked at it. It did not match what he had in his hand, so he laid it down for her. She looked at her hand and noticed that the three he placed would fit perfectly with her hand. She grabbed the card and placed it in her hand and laid down an eight. The game went on until they both were on the seventh set, they had to complete a set of seven of the same suit.   
When Midori reached for the diamond on the table, Shunsui placed his hand on hers. She had not looked at him in the eyes since she had come to see him.   
He could read that she was unhappy, “Tell me what is going on, already.”   
She pulled the diamond out from under his hand with a little bit of a struggle and laid her set on the table.   
“I got my set. It’s your turn.” She gave him a fake smile.   
Soon after the bartender brought them more sake, a local guy with a suave hairdo and an ‘all that’ personality walked over to them and placed a hand on the back of Midori’s chair.   
“Why don’t you leave this old guy and come sit with us, beautiful?”   
“No, thank you.”   
He reached for her arm, but Shunsui interjected, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”   
The local turned hostile at Shunsui, “And what are you going to do, old man?”   
Midori was getting angry. She was trying to spend time with her uncle. She got up from her seat, gently placing her cards on the table. She grabbed the guy by the arm and pushed him back where he came from.   
“I don’t want to sit with you. I don’t want to drink with you. I am trying to spend time with my uncle, so stop pestering us.” The guy and his friends were scared at the look on Midori’s face.   
Shunsui sat smiling at their table, “I told him not to.” Midori returned to her hand. She still had the scary look on her face way after those jerks had left. “You know if you sit around with that kind of face, you’ll scare everyone away.”   
He was smiling at her. She looked up and adjusted her face, “I guess, I can tell you now, since the day is already ruined.”   
The lonesome sound of her voice caused Shunsui to encourage her, “This day has not been ruined, come on let’s go.”   
He grabbed the cards, placing them back in the box. He gave money to the bartender and held his hand out to Midori. She looked up into his eyes. They were the eyes that would always tell her that everything was going to be alright. She took his hand, and they left the bar.   
They did not talk on their way back to his office. When they entered, he sat back down at his desk, and Midori came to sit next to him.   
She breathed in deep and began, “I am leaving the day after tomorrow.”   
“You are? Where are you going?” He sat with his chin propped up on his hand staring at her.   
“Commander Yamamoto has found someone to help me control the Hollow inside of me. He said that I would have to travel through a portal to get to this man named Danr.”   
“I see. Things aren’t that bad. This will benefit you in many ways.”   
“I know, but I will be gone from here for ten years.”   
Shunsui bit the inside of his jaw when she said this. He didn’t realize that he would have to go without seeing her for that long.   
“It’ll be over before you know it, kiddo. Just make the best of it and come back with a smile on your face.”   
Midori had heard that twice. Captain Unohana had said the same thing.   
“Was there something about my smile they found some kind of resolve in? Why does he always have to act like nothing bothers him?” she pondered.   
“Why do you have to act like that?” she asked him.   
He lifted his head in surprise at her words, “Like what?”   
She stood up. Her body was fueled by the anger rising in it, “Like you feel nothing about it! I feel horrible about leaving! I don’t want to go, but if I don’t things will get worse! I have no choice, but it would be nice to hear someone care about me leaving! No one has shown any emotion! For all I know, you all will forget me in ten years!”   
“Forget you. You think we will forget you. Well, young lady, I hate to be the barer of bad news, but that is completely out of the question. No one will forget you. We all just want you to be happy about your decision. Just because we don’t show you any emotion does not mean we do not feel anything. We are just like you, Midori. I know deep inside of your heart you want to hide and cry. You have never been away from people you care about for so long, but I won’t give you what you want. I want you to go and train. I want you to have control over yourself, again. Midori, I am happy that Commander Yamamoto found someone for you. I want you to leave here happy, and I want you to return a different woman. I want you to be truly happy when you return, and that will not happen unless you know for sure that you alone can protect yourself. It is horrible that you have had to go through so much over the years. Your emotions have been all over the place, and the feeling of safety that you have wanted so bad is something that I think you will find in training yourself. Go and train. Find your true self and return here with all the confidence and happiness you can pluck from the world to make yourself feel safe.”   
Midori could not say anything, but she fell down into his arms. He hugged her as she cried.   
“I will miss you, kiddo. I will miss you, so terribly, but I know deep down that you need this more than anything I can give you.”   
He rubbed her back as she kept crying into his arms. She wanted to tell him her feelings, but she couldn’t get the words out between her tears. Everything that he had said was right. She had been drowning trying to find the safety that would heal her. She wanted to be a confident and happy woman. She wanted to be able to protect herself instead of relying on others.   
“I love you, Uncle Shunsui,” was all she could manage through her sobbing.   
“I love you, too, kiddo.” He kissed the top of her head.  
Midori stayed in her old room that night. She didn’t want to budge from his side, but when she fell asleep, Shunsui picked her up in his arms and moved her to her bedroom. He placed her under the covers and pushed hair from her face before kissing her head and leaving. He had been holding it in for so long that when he got back to his office he went out to his balcony and cried. He did not want her to leave.   
“What if she doesn’t return? Could I handle losing her?” his mind raced with all the possibilities. He did not know. The tears came so much that exhaustion came soon after, and he fell asleep as the air outside dried the tears to his face. 

*****  
The next day was Midori’s last day for a while in the Seireitei. She noticed her necklace that her mother left her when she passed on her desk. She picked it up, opened it to look at her parents, and stored it in her uniform. This was something that she needed to take with her. It would be something that would help her stay motivated to do her best. She left the 8th division, giving her uncle one last hug. He kissed her head before she left and watched her disappear from the barracks.   
She went to the 6th division to tell Byakuya, but he was not there. Many of the 6th division members did not know where he was, and one member told her that he had been gone since the day she left him. She was worried.   
“He probably went to the Kuchiki mansion,” she reasoned with herself.  
She took the time to go to the mansion, and there he was walking out in the courtyard.   
“Hey, Byakuya,” he looked up at her words, and welcomed her to walk with him, “How are you doing, today?”   
“I am alright. How are you, Midori?”   
She stopped, causing him to stop, “I needed to come and tell you that I will be leaving for ten years to train. It was an order from Commander Yamamoto.”   
“I see. I will miss you.”   
She could feel him being distant. She grabbed his arm, “Please, don’t be so distant.”   
She looked into his gray eyes that were beginning to water, “If I would have taken you from Kisuke Urahara, you would have never had to go through the things you did, and I would have not lost a wife. Midori, if this is the path you have chosen, I cannot stand in the way of that path. I love you, and I will miss you, but I will be here when you get back. Just be happy and find that confident Midori that I saw when I was thirteen, so beautiful and free.”   
She hugged his neck. He hesitated to touch her, but he squeezed her. He wanted to rewind time and love her before Kisuke. He wanted to erase all the pain they both had endured over the past years. He placed his hands in her hair pulling her further into him.   
“Byakuya, thank you. I will return a woman you can be proud to stand beside. I want you to be able to rely on me like I rely on you.”   
She walked away from him. He watched her lovely figure disappear from his sight.   
“If it was not for you, Midori. I would still be breaking inside. You have done more for me than I have ever done for you. To be proud of you, who says that I am not already. You are someone I want to be able to stand beside because your smile radiants hope inside of me,” he thought about her as he kept staring in the direction she disappeared from.

*****  
Midori had one last person to see before she had to leave, Jushiro. She made her way to the 13th division.   
She walked down the hall to his office and was stopped by Kiyone, “He is not in there, Midori.”   
She did not need to be told where Jushiro was. She knew. She made her way down to the usual spot, and there he was laying against the oak tree.   
“You know how to make a girls heartbeat so fast.”   
He looked up to see Midori standing there smiling at him. He reached his hands up to her to have her sit with him. He pulled her into his lap, and she placed her head on his chest.   
He had been doing well, lately. There were no signs of his lung cancer acting up, but it did not stop her from worrying.   
“You know how to make a man’s heartbeat fast, too. Don’t you hear it?”   
She listened, and sure enough, it was strong and fast.   
It made a blush rush across her face, “Shiro.”   
He was running his fingers through her hair, “Yes, gorgeous.”   
His words always made her heart race. She was truly falling deeper in love with this man. She didn’t feel foolish. She didn’t feel anxious around him. She felt safe and sound. She felt like she was home, but her mind still pondered if he would forget her.   
“Will you forget me if I were to disappear?”   
“I would never forget you. You see, Midori, I have given my heart to you, and inside of you, it lives to only love you. When you are not with me, I still feel you, here.”   
He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest where his heart was. His words caused Midori to cry. She wanted to hold them back, but she couldn’t help it. She had never thought he would say something like that to her. He placed his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest.   
“You are stuck with me, Ri. I will not let you go, no matter what.”   
She did not say anything after that. She lifted her head and kissed his chin. He looked down at her and kissed her lips, and the two of them were entangled in each other for some time.   
Midori pulled from his kisses to tell him her reason for visiting, “Jushiro, I am leaving the Seireitei.”   
He was surprised, “Where are you going? Is it some place I can visit you?”   
“I am afraid not. I am going to train with a man named Danr. He will help me control the Hollow inside of me.”   
“That is a wonderful thing, right? I wish for safe return.”   
Jushiro’s mind was swimming with thoughts of her being away. He would miss her. He would be lonely without her. He wanted to feel the touch of her skin again before it was too late, and he wouldn’t be able to.   
He began kissing her lips. Her mind was wondering about what he was thinking. Those words were like it was a week trip or a month at best.   
She had to tell him all of it, “Shiro, I will be gone for ten years.” He stopped what he was doing. He moved her from his lap and stood up. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to his room, “Will you say something, please.”   
When he sat her down and shut the door, he walked over to her and placed her face in his hands, “It does not please me to be away from you for that long, but if it will help you from the struggle in your heart, please go without a second thought. I know you don’t want to leave me, but Ri this is a wonderful opportunity for you. I love you. I love you with every inch of my body. I want you to be happy.” He kissed her lips and she kissed him back. He kissed her down onto his futon, “But if you are going to be gone for that long, I want to be able to remember the feeling of your bare skin against mine.”   
He kissed her neck and opened her uniform to reveal her breasts to him. He made love to Midori in a way that they both had never experience before. He left kiss marks all over her body, and she left one on his chest right where his heart was. She wanted to stay like this for the rest of her life. It was true that he completed her and that she completed him. They both made each other happy, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, this training really was the best thing for her do.  
Jushiro and Midori made love well into the afternoon. She loved being with him. She kissed his head as he laid beside of her with his eyes closed. He wasn’t asleep because as she sat up, he opened his eyes to stare at her. He could perfectly memorize all the curves of her body, and it caused a smile to creep up on his face.   
He reached for her and pulled her over to him, “If you stay like that, I will make you mine again.”   
She smiled and turned and kissed his lips, “I never said that I was against that,” they cuddled in his futon, “Shiro, I will miss you, horribly.”   
“I will miss you too, Ri,” he kissed her head, “I will think of you daily and try to hold on to your smile.”   
“What is it about my smile? Everyone says they love to see me smile.” She looked up at him. He just smiled.   
He didn’t want to tell her what her smile meant to a lot of people. Midori saw that he didn’t want to tell her, so she rubbed her fingers softly along his stomach and his sides.   
Jushiro noticed that Midori was going to tickle him and grabbed her hands, “Please don’t.”   
She lifted herself on top of him, “Tell me or I will.” He sat up and pushed himself into her opening.   
She let out a moan, “I told you, I would.” He made love to her, again.   
While Midori was hugging his neck, he whispered into her ear, “Your smile gives so many of us hope because it brightens our day. It makes me happy to see you smile. To me, it is like an aphrodisiac.” He placed her ear lobe between his lips and sucked on it. It caused Midori so much pleasure.   
Sometime later, they collapsed in his futon exhausted.   
“I love you, Ri.” He pulled her over to him to cuddle, again.   
“I love you too, Shiro.”   
There was still a lot for Midori to do before she had to leave in the morning. She didn’t really want to leave Jushiro, but she had to.   
“I have to get ready for tomorrow, love.”   
She got up, letting the evening sun trace the outline of her naked body. Jushiro was staring at her again.   
“Will I see you before you leave, tomorrow?” She looked back to him as she placed her pants back on.   
She bent down and kissed his lips, “Of course, I have some instructions to give Kaien, and I will definitely see you before I leave.”   
He thought about what kind of instructions she would have for Kaien, but his mind was still memorizing how beautiful Midori was as she lifted her hair out of her kimono.   
He got up and walked to her. His pale body caused Midori to blush as he pulled her close to him, “Don’t forget me either, Ri. I am the only man who will love you enough to make you happy.”   
He kissed her lips as she placed her arms around him. He pulled her kimono closed and tied it around her. He dressed as she straightened the futon placing it in the corner. He loved to watch her work.   
“Midori?”   
“Yes.”   
She looked back at him, “Our lives as Soul Reapers cause us to live a long time. Have you ever considered staying with me, forever?”   
She smiled at him and walked to him, helping him put on his kimono. She pulled it around him and tied it for him.   
She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him, “I would stay with you for longer than forever,” she reached up and hugged him, “My heart has never been as happy as it has been when I am encompassed by your love.”   
He hugged her and didn’t want to let her go. She placed her head on his heart again and there was nothing but a strong heartbeat.   
“I will see you, tomorrow.”   
“Okay.”   
He kissed her head and she left his room. He walked to his door, opening it. He watched her walk down the hall.   
Kaien happened to see her leave, “Is everything alright?”   
“Everything is fine, Kaien. I will just miss her is all.”   
He walked back into his room as Midori disappeared from sight. Kaien did not know what he meant, but he could feel a sadness in his captain.   
“Did they break up?” Kaien wondered.

*****  
Midori rushed to the 4th division to begin preparations for her journey. She had to finishing making 600 bags of tea, 600 bags of medication, and 520 small bags of the chiyu jeru she used to treat Jushiro. She had been working a little along over the past three days to make them, and she had to make sure that he had everything he would need for the next ten years they were not together.   
She worked fast so that she could make it in time for Mei to help her with cooking some ohagi and mochi to leave with Jushiro when she left. She made it back to her room at midnight. She got ready for bed, laying down on her futon, she could not sleep. She would miss all of her friends in the Seireitei. She hoped that her traveling through a portal and gaining help trying to control the Hollow inside of her would keep everyone safe. Her eyes got heavy and her mind began to go blank. She fell asleep from pure exhaustion.  
The next morning, Midori walked to Captain Unohana’s office. She opened the door with a box in her hand, “Captain Unohana.”   
“Midori?” Captain Unohana was talking with Lieutenant Kotetsu, a girl with light gray short hair with a few strands that were longer than the rest and brown eyes but paused when she saw her coming in with a box.   
Midori set the box down in the supply corner, “This is the chiyu jeru for the fast healing Kaido for when you go to check up on Captain Ukitake. I have made sure to individually wrap them so that they are easier to use.”   
Lieutenant Kotetsu looked inside, “Midori, that is a lot of chiyu jeru.”   
“Yes, one for each week I will be gone. I don’t want to burden you all, and I think this will help.” Captain Unohana smirked at how thoughtful Midori was being.   
She got up from her desk and walked to her. She pulled Midori into a hug, “You will be back before we know it.”   
Midori hugged her back, “Yes, and when I get back, I will be someone you can be proud of.”   
These words shocked Captain Unohana, “Midori, I am already proud of you.”   
Midori squeezed Captain Unohana, “I love you, mom.”   
Captain Unohana began to cry softly so no one would see or hear her, “I love you too, my daughter.”   
Lieutenant Kotetsu had tears in her eyes, too. She knew how close Midori was to Captain Unohana, and it broke her heart to see them so heartbroken.  
Midori left the 4th division with two large boxes and a small box and headed toward the 13th division.   
When she got through the gate, she was offered help by Kaien, “Yo, Midori. Would you like help?”   
“Please. You are one of the people I came to see, today.” He took the two large boxes while Midori carried the small box.   
“What did you need to see me for?”   
“In those boxes are enough medicine and tea to help Captain Ukitake. I would like for you to make sure that he gets everything he needs.”   
She paused which gave Kaien a moment to ask her, “It is really nice that you are making sure he is taken care of since you guys broke up and all. I saw the loneliness in his eyes yesterday when you left.”   
Midori did not know what Kaien meant, but her mind was too worried about Jushiro being lonely. She didn’t want him to be sad while she was away.   
“We are not broken up. I am just going away for ten years to train. I wanted to make sure that you had everything I bring for him weekly so that he doesn’t run out. Also, I know that me being away from him is going to be a strain on him, so please keep an eye on that as well. I don’t want him being in dire straits while I am gone.”   
Kaien was listening to her. He was happy that they were still together, but he wondered how his captain felt about her leaving for that long.  
Midori was still going over stuff as they got closer to Jushiro’s room. He heard them and opened the door to welcome Midori, but he found her giving orders to Kaien like she was his captain.   
“Make sure that he gets tea and medicine, daily, and if his condition worsens, make sure to give it to him twice a day. I have made enough to give extra in case something goes wrong.”   
Seeing her so concerned about him and acting like his wife made him happy.   
He walked over to her, “Midori give Kaien a break, or you are going to break him.”   
She turned to him, “I have to make sure you are taken care of while I am gone.”   
He kissed her cheek in front of everyone. It stopped Midori’s assault on Kaien. He took the moment to carry the boxes to their medical bay, leaving them alone.   
“So, you will be leaving soon?”   
“Yes, but I wanted to see you before then.” Jushiro walked Midori into his room.   
She had to be back in the 1st division by noon. In her mind, that was not a lot of time to spend with him. She watched him as he went back to his desk.   
“Are you going to have a seat with me, or stand at the door?”   
She answered his question by sitting next to him, “Jushiro, please don’t be sad when I am gone. It will only make things worse for your condition.”   
He peered over at her. He could see her biting her lip. He turned and kissed her lips, “Don’t bit your lip like that, or you will make it bleed, Ri.”   
His nickname for her caused butterflies to appear in her stomach. She loved how he said it. It was like he was placing a spell on her every time.   
“I made these for you, Shiro.” She held out the small box. He took it.   
“What did you make this time?” he opened it and noticed something similar to ohagi was sitting beside of his favorite food, “Why mochi?” He looked over at her pulling one up to his lips.   
“Mochi is my favorite food. I want you to have something I love while I am gone.” He took a bite from it. It was very similar to ohagi, but where rice should be, it was filled with red bean paste.   
He loved the taste of it, “Perhaps, I should change my favorite food to your favorite. It is so delicious.” Midori noticed a little bit of red bean paste beside his lip. She leaned forward and licked it off. Jushiro’s face flushed red. Her actions were so innocent, yet so sexual that it drove him crazy. He placed the half eaten mochi back in the box and pulled Midori into his lap.   
“I want you, Ri.”   
“I want you, too, Shiro.”   
They kissed deeply and then held each other. She would be gone after noon today, and he did not know how he was going to handle her not being there. He tightened his embrace. He took her scent in, hoping it would stay with him till she returned. Midori reached in the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a letter.   
She handed it to him, “Shiro, I want you to read this letter when you feel lonely. I want you to have something to remember me by, but don’t read it, now. Read it when you miss me the most.”   
“I will.”   
He kissed the letter and placed it in the drawer of his desk. He went back to holding Midori. They were happy just being within each other’s embrace.   
When it was time to leave, Midori got up from his arms with much resistance.   
“Shiro, I have to go.”   
He stood up with her and pulled her into a kiss. He ran his fingers through her hair to cup her head and pulled her into him more. His kiss filled her with ecstasy. When they pulled a part, Midori could still fill his lips on hers.   
“I love you, Ri. I will be thinking of you, always.”   
“I love you, too, Shiro. My thoughts will be forever filled with nothing but you.”   
They embraced each other and then Midori had to leave. Jushiro watched her walk back down the same path she did before.   
His eyes still showing the signs of loneliness, “It’s okay, Captain. Midori will be back, just be patient until she returns.”   
He looked at Kaien, “That is easy for you to say, but I guess I will have to.”   
“Midori be safe. I will never forget you, and I will always love you. This is a promise I make to you and to myself,” he thought to himself, hoping they would reach her somehow.   
Midori’s mind filled with everyone she would miss. When she got to the 1st division, she saw Kenny and Yachiru there waiting for her, “Time to go.”   
“Yes.”   
She walked with them to Commander Yamamoto’s office. She had her Zanpakuto on her hips, her medical device in her kimono, and medicines and ointments in a pouch on her hip. When they opened the door, Commander Yamamoto came to greet Midori. She had a resolve on her face that made him proud.   
He had thought she was going to be a mess, but she had a determination in her eyes that made him smirk.   
“Midori, are you ready to go?”   
“Yes, Commander Yamamoto.”   
“Good,” he got closer to her, “The thing with Aizen will be investigated, so don’t worry about it.” She was happy that someone believed her.   
“Just be safe in doing it, Grandfather Yamamoto.”   
He smiled at her and gave her the lykill, “Just swipe at the air in front of you and think of the man Danr.”   
Midori turned to Kenny, “Thank you, Kenny. I will see you in ten years. Don’t forget me.”   
“Never, girl. I will wait for your return. Don’t get into too much trouble.” She smiled at him.   
Yachiru peered over his shoulder, “Mi-Mi, be safe. We will miss you.”   
“I will miss you guys, too, Yachiru.”   
Midori turned and distanced herself from Commander Yamamoto, Kenny, and Yachiru. She did not know Danr, but she thought about his name. She could feel the lykill come alive in her hand. She saw a white glow appear from it, and she struck the air in front of her making a vertical cut, a void appeared in front of her. It was a swirl of blue and green clouds.   
Suddenly, Seigi appeared beside of her, “Midori, this is the void to Vuaruhara called Landhluta, I can feel it.”   
“What kind of place is that?”   
“It is the place where warriors go to rest.”   
Midori’s eyes widen. She felt scared to step forward, but she remembered her resolve. She had said goodbye to her friends, and she was willing to do anything to control the Hollow that raged inside of her. She called Seigi back to her Zanpakuto and stepped forward.   
She turned around to look at Commander Yamamoto, “Thank you.”   
She walked backwards until the Landhluta path of blue and green swirling clouds disappeared, and so did Midori.

The End of the Desolation Arc


End file.
